Johannesburg - A man is expected to appear in the Eerstehoek Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday for allegedly shooting and killing three men who were part of crowd that handed over a petition against him in Embhuleni, Mpumalanga.
Police spokesman Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said the three men were part of the delegates from the Aarhemburg community who went to the Embhuleni tribal authority on Tuesday to hand over a petition.
“It is reported that when they arrived at the tribal authority, they came across the suspect whom the petition was against. The petition contained information that the implicated man must not be appointed as a traditional leader,” he said.
“The suspect allegedly addressed them in a very harsh way, warning them that he hoped his name had nothing to do with their petition as he had heard there was a plot to remove him. They ignored him and continued to hand over the petition to the secretary of the tribal authority. The suspect then grabbed it and tore it into pieces.”
The delegation decided to leave the tribal offices and go to the police station to ask for help regarding the matter when the man drew a firearm and started shooting at them before they could leave the premises.
“Some of the community members fled the scene and their lives were spared to tell the tale. The three men, Jabulani Nkosi, 45, David Mkhaliphi, 46 and Themba Nkosi, 43, were certified dead at the scene. After the incident, the suspect handed himself over to the police with the 9mm pistol he had used,” Mohlala said.
The 40-year-old man would face three counts of murder.
ANA