Pretoria - The family of an 88-year-old Soshanguve man who was murdered at his home said they have been left shocked by the senseless killing.
Family spokesman and son-in-law Exten Makwela said he could not express how devastated the family was by the murder.
“It’s bad to lose a parent like this… it is humiliating and shocking to attack and kill an elderly person in this manner.”
Ezekiel Motloutse was found early on Monday morning lying on his bed with his hands bound with a cable tie.
Makwela said his face was bruised and swollen and appeared to have been clubbed with a blunt object repeatedly.
“He was found by the helper who suspected something was amiss when she arrived and found the front door locked and his car was not there.
“She tried the sliding door and found it was open. When she got into the house she found the old man on the bed with his hands tied,” Makwela said.
The elderly man had been living alone for a number of years following the death of his wife.
Makwela said a number of items were stolen during the home invasion, including a plasma TV, a microwave, two cellphones and Motloutse’s red VW Polo. “This was an act of pure crime. I don’t think his attackers intended to kill him, they probably got scared,” he said.
When family members arrived at his home Motloutse was unconscious and foaming at the mouth. They rushed him to the Netcare Akasia Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.
There was a heavy police presence outside Motloutse’s home on Monday. Neighbours and passers-by expressed shock at the gruesome murder saying it was hard to explain why he was killed.
Makwela said this act portrayed the disintegrating moral fibre evident in communities. “When the senseless begins to make sense, it shows the vacuum of leadership in our communities. This cannot be simply a matter of unemployment, but lack of leadership and ethics in our communities,” he said.
Neighbour Letlhogonolo Mokone, described Motloutse as a humble person who had dedicated his life to the church. “We don’t know what happened in the house, but the people who did this were probably scared that the old man would be able to identify them,” Mokone said.
He said the community was shocked after learning about the incident. “To kill an elderly person like this, someone who played a big role in our community, is shocking. He helped a lot of people in our area. We are angered by this,” he said.
The city’s MMC for Community Safety Terrence Mashego visited Motloutse’s home. He described the murder as inhumane and said society had lost the plot. “This is a terrible incident. We condemn it. For an old man to be killed in that fashion is unacceptable. If they wanted anything, they should have just taken it without killing him - he obviously wouldn’t have run after them.”
Pretoria News