Polokwane - The South African Police Service (SAPS) in Limpopo has expressed deep concern at the continuous domestic violence-related "incidents which include murder, assault, and malicious damage to property" in the province.
This concern was "precipitated by incidents of kidnapping and murder" which occurred in the Seshego policing area, at Ga-Legodi village in the Moletji vicinity near Polokwane on Friday, Lt-Col Moatshe Ngoepe said.
"It is alleged that a middle aged man from [the] Senwabarwana area took his 27-year-old ex-girlfriend at gunpoint and held her hostage from Mmakgodu village towards Ga-Legodi village and along the way he shot her to death."
Police were notified and a joint search operation by different police units, including the SAPS air wing, was launched until the suspect was "cornered, but before he could be apprehended he shot himself and he was then taken to the hospital where he is in critical condition under police guard", Ngoepe said.
The motive behind the incident was not clear at this stage, but the police investigations were continuing. The man would appear in the Seshego Magistrate's Court on charges of kidnapping and murder as soon as he had recovered in hospital.
Members of the community were once more advised to use their local "professional services available to them in case of any conflict or differences rather than taking the lives of others", Ngoepe said.