King William's Town - Ngqamakhwe police have arrested a 55-year-old man for the alleged murder of his 88-year-old mother, Eastern Cape police said on Saturday.
"It is alleged that both the son and the mother had a misunderstanding at their home on Friday, 17 August 2018 after [9 pm] at Emntla locality, Ngcwazi village, Ngqamakhwe," Captain Jackson Manatha said.
"The suspect is alleged to have used an axe to fatally wound his mother on the night in question. The grandchildren of the deceased were in a separate room and were scared to stop their father as he was armed with an axe. The grandchildren only noticed in the early hours of Saturday, 18 August 2018 that their grandmother had passed away," he said.
It was not yet clear why was the man "having a misunderstanding with his mother" had attacked her. The man had been charged with murder and would appear in the Ngqamakhwe Magistrate's Court on Monday on a murder charge. The deceased was identified as Nogem Mahamba, Manatha said.
Butterworth policing cluster commander Brigadier Ngangema Xakavu expressed shock at the murder of an old defenceless woman. He condemned the murder, especially by a person who was supposed to protect her. He praised the Ngqamakhwe police for their swift action in arresting the suspect.