SOUTH African Police in Limpopo have arrested two suspects in connection with the murder of a 47-year-old Zimbabwean national who was fatally stabbed inside his vehicle at Ivydale plot in Westenburg earlier this week.
According to the South African Police Service, the victim, identified as Philip Mabusha, was found dead inside his red Ford Ranger parked along a gravel road on Tuesday, January 13.
Police said members of the Westenburg police station responded after receiving a complaint of a stabbed victim at the Ivydale plot. On arrival, officers found a red Ford Ranger with Limpopo registration number parked along the gravel road and the victim seated in the driver’s seat “with visible stab wounds on his upper body”.
Emergency medical services were summoned and “the victim was declared dead on the scene”.
Limpopo SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba said preliminary investigations indicated that the suspects allegedly lured the victim to the area.
“The preliminary report suggests that the suspects called the victim to meet and discuss price quotations at the crime scene. It is not clear as to what transpired until the victim was fatally stabbed,” Mashaba said.
He added that community members allegedly apprehended one of the suspects and assaulted him before alerting police.
“The suspect sustained injuries from the mob attack and is currently at the hospital receiving medical care under police guard,” Mashaba said, adding that a second suspect was arrested on Wednesday, January 14.
Mashaba said a case of murder had been opened against the suspects, while an additional case of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm had been registered against community members involved in the mob assault.
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“The acting provincial commissioner of police in Limpopo, Major General Jan Scheepers, has called upon community members to resist the temptation of taking law into their own hands and allow the police to do their work without any interference,” he said.
The motive for the killing remains unknown and investigations are continuing.
The suspects are expected to appear in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on Friday, January 16. – IOL
