Seven suspects aged between 20 and 33 years are expected to appear before Piet Retief Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, 27 December 2023 following the murder of a 29-year-old victim.
According to information, the seven suspects handed over the firearm belonging to the deceased at the police station and reported that the deceased wanted to shoot them, but they managed to disarm him.
When police asked about his whereabouts, they reported that he tripped and fell, and they left him on the scene.
Police visited the scene for further investigation and found out that the victim was assaulted and was certified dead on the scene by medical practitioners. Hence, the seven were arrested.
The incident follows shortly after seven other people lost their lives after they were attacked in different locations in Piet Retief.
The first victim aged 26 years was allegedly robbed of his cellphone on Friday night 22 December 2023. According to information, the victim mobilised a backup and went out looking for suspects.
It is alleged that a group of suspects were confronted, but it transpired that they were not the ones who robbed him. The group became aggressive and assaulted the victim. He was rushed to hospital and later discharged the same night.
On Saturday, his situation worsened and was taken back to hospital where he passed on.
On hearing the news of his passing on, a small group of people mobilised on what is believed to be a revenge and attacked four victims in Oosloop, Piet Retief. Two of the victims were declared dead on the scene and the other two lost their lives in hospital.
The group further attacked other victims at Mangosuthu and Phosa. Both victims lost their lives on the scene. One victim who was hospilised also lost his life in hospital this morning, Sunday 24 December 2023.
Police are working hard to get all those behind the killing and could not rule out possibilities of linking the arrested suspects to these murders pending investigation.
The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, has strongly condemned the loss of nine lives within the same area in a short space of time. “One life lost is too many, people should refrain from taking the law into their own hands, but report criminal activities to the police,” said the General.
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