Man arrested after allegedly shooting dead his own mother

A 30-year-old man has been arrested for murder after he allegedly shot his mother when she intervened in a heated argument involving the man, his wife and a friend on Wednesday.

According to a police statement, the man, his wife and a friend were in one room arguing, while his 59-year-old mother was in another room of the house, in Kabokweni, near Nelspruit in Mpumalanga.

“The argument between the three escalated and the man’s mother, who was in another room with her other children, heard the commotion and sought to intervene,” police spokesperson Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said in a statement.

“She then tried to calm the situation, however her son who had a firearm, fired a shot, which struck his mother.”

The victim’s daughter rushed to find out what was happening and found her mother lying on the ground. The victim was rushed to hospital, but was certified dead on arrival.

Police questioned the man, but he allegedly failed to give clear answers, Hlathi said.

The man is expected to appear at the Kabokweni Magistrate’s Court on Monday on charges of murder, possession of a firearm and ammunition without a licence, as well as defeating the ends of justice.

Issue

Mpumalanga police commissioner Lieutenant-General Mondli Zuma condemned the incident, adding that illegal firearms in circulation remained an issue.

“The issue of the proliferation of firearms remains a concern as it has devastating effects and we encourage members of the public to report anyone who is unlawfully in possession of a firearm and/or ammunition, regardless of whether you are related to the person or not,” Zuma said.

“As from 1 November last year, Police Minister Bheki Cele conducted a Firearm Amnesty Project, where members of the public were encouraged to bring forth firearms to their nearest police stations.

“This project is aimed at eliminating illegal firearms from the society because we do recover those illegal firearms when conducting operations.”

NEWS24