- Eastern Cape villagers blame the police after a 21-year-old man allegedly hacked his 43-year-old mother to death.
- The incident happened after the suspect violated a protection order obtained by his mother against him.
- The police were called to arrest the suspect - but, instead of taking him to jail, the cops allegedly dropped him off along the way to the police station.
Eastern Cape villagers in the Great Kei municipality are blaming the police after a 21-year-old man allegedly hacked his 43-year-old mother to death on Tuesday.
The incident took place at Sotho Location in Mooiplaas, according to Eastern Cape police.
Community leaders in the area told News24 the incident happened the morning after the suspect violated a protection order against him obtained by his mother.
The police were called on that day to arrest the suspect and, instead of taking him to jail, they allegedly dropped him off along the way to the police station, said the secretary of the SA Youth Council and a neighbour of the deceased, Monwabisi Njanya.
Njanya said: "The information we received is that, while they were returning to the station, the police officers asked the suspect if he had an alternative address to stay at. He told them he would stay at his father's, and they dropped him off. The next morning, that boy went back to his mother and fought with her. This is painful."
The Ward 3 ANC councillor for Great Kei municipality, Lwandisa Mhlontlo, said she will be meeting with the station commander of the Mooiplaas police station over the allegations of negligence levelled against the officers.
It is understood the mother and son got into an argument on the day of the incident after the youth, a suspected drug addict, demanded more money from his mother, just days after she had reportedly given him R5 000 to purchase clothes.
Drugs
He allegedly blew a chunk of it on drugs, News24 was told.
Njanya said drug and substance abuse was rife in Mooiplaas, with a large parts of the area littered by drug lords.
While community members said the man allegedly murdered the woman over drug money, Eastern Cape police said the motive for the murder will be revealed by the police investigation.
Eastern Cape police spokesperson Sibongile Soci said the man will appear in the East London Magistrate's Court on Thursday, facing a murder charge.
"SAPS members were alerted about the incident at about 10:15 yesterday morning (Tuesday) and rushed to Sotho Location, Mooiplaas. On arrival, they found the body of a 43-year-old woman with stab wounds in her upper body. The motive for the murder is unknown and forms part of the investigation," said Soci.
Mhlontlo said she visited the family of the deceased and saw the victim's frail mother.
Pensioner
Mhlontlo said the pensioner was not in a good state at all. She arranged for social workers to offer trauma counselling to her and neighbours who witnessed the incident.
Mhlontlo said, together with other leaders in the municipality and ward, they had made many interventions over the scourge of drugs in the area.
"As the leadership in Ward 3 and Great Kei generally, we made many efforts concerning drugs and substance abuse. For example, recently we had a prayer in partnership with the morale regeneration movement, where we were praying against gender-based violence and substance abuse. We also work with the community safety forum at Great Kei, but clearly we need to double our efforts."
Police were asked to respond to the allegations of negligence. Their comment will be added once received.
Njanya, a former ANC Youth League leader in the Dullar Omar branch in Cape Town, said since returning to his birthplace of Mooiplaas in 2018, together with other community leaders, they have chased out four drug lords so far.
"The youth are battling the scourge of drugs. This murder incident happens when we are in a process of launching an anti-drug campaign with Sanco [SA National Civic Organisation] to encourage community engagement and rallying everyone behind the fight against drugs and crime," said Njanya.
The family of the deceased, including the victim's 80-year-old mother, were too distraught to speak to News24.