A 38-year-old suspect, a City of Mbombela by-law enforcement officer, is expected to appear in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court soon in connection with a murder at Kwanyoni Lodge outside Mbombela on the N4.
According to a press statement by the Hawks, the victim was identified as a provincial traffic official.
The Hawks’ provincial spokesperson, Captain Dineo Sekgotodi, said it was reported that on Saturday April 15 the victim and a female friend had booked in at the lodge.
“While they were in the chalet, the woman’s husband emerged and kicked down the door. There was an alleged altercation as a broken beer bottle was discovered.
“It is further alleged that the traffic official ran out of the chalet and the husband followed him as he fired shots. The victim was shot twice and succumbed to his injuries. The suspect fled the scene,” said Sekgotodi.
Sekgotodi said the Hawks’ Mbombela-based Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit, Nelspruit Vispol and the Mbombela Local Criminal Record Centre had also attended to the scene.
Hawks’ Mbombela-based Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit, Nelspruit Vispol, said “We are fully cooperating with the authorities, Our top priority right now is to ensure the safety and well-being of our guests and employees, as we always do. We’d like to emphasise that this was an isolated incident that shocked us to our core. Due to the circumstances surrounding it, we could unfortunately do nothing to avoid it.
“We want to reassure our guests that safety has always been and will always be our top priority.” We are unable to comment further on the specifics of the situation because this is an ongoing investigation.”
The suspect handed himself over to the SAPS in Mbombela. His official firearm was seized. He was charged with murder and detained pending his first court appearance. The investigation continues.
