JOHANNESBURG – A 28-year-old man is in hospital under police guard after residents assaulted him for allegedly hacking his father to death with a panga.
It is not known what led to the altercation between father and son.
According to spokesperson for the Mpumalanga Police Brigadier Leonard Hlathi, the incident took place on Tuesday at Mabharhula Trust in Calcutta near Hazyview.
He said residents were alerted to what was going on by the screams of the man and called the police.
After calling the police, he said, the residents then went to the house to find out what was going on. There, they found the son attacking his father and they beat him up.
“The reports further revealed that some members of the community then angrily apprehended the suspect thereof and allegedly assaulted him, an action which is discouraged by the police.
“He (the son) is badly injured as they beat him with anything they could find. When police arrived at the scene, they found the victim lying in a pool of blood with multiple open wounds in his body.
“He was unfortunately certified dead by paramedics and a murder case was then opened.
Hlathi said they also found the panga believed to have been used to kill the man. It had been confiscated as evidence.
“Meanwhile the suspect was arrested but hospitalised as a result of the assault. He is currently under police guard and is due to appear before the Mkhuhlu Magistrate's Court as soon as he is discharged from hospital,” Hlathi said.
This incident happened a day after a 17-year-old teenager was also arrested for murder after allegedly stabbing his uncle, who was also his guardian, to death.
Hlathi said investigation revealed that the teenager was at home at Ratanang Village in Casteel near Bushbuckridge when his uncle arrived. It is said that an argument broke out between them which ended with the boy allegedly stabbing his uncle on the upper body repeatedly.
“The victim unfortunately succumbed to his injuries and the matter is currently before court.”
Hlathi said it was not known where the parents of the boy were and what the argument between him and the uncle was about.
Acting Provincial Police Commissioner Major General Thulani Phahla said violence must not be the only way to resolve disputes.
“These incidents are seriously regrettable. Family members should be there for each other and not turn against one another. Be that as it, may the law take its course and people should know that such actions have serious consequences, " Phahla said.
IOL