Bothashoek man in court for alleged murder of girlfriend
BOTHASHOEK
A Bothashoek man who allegedly assaulted and stabbed his 38-year-old girlfriend to death on Sunday morning was appeared in the Praktiseer Magistrate’s Court on June 10.
According to the police,they were summoned to a local clinic after the victim had died while receiving treatment.
“The woman and her boyfriend were at a local tavern on the evening of Saturday June 8, where they had a heated argument. Apparently, he assaulted her and the tavern owner intervened. She left the tavern, allegedly to report the incident to the SAPS.
“Preliminary investigations established that the suspect had followed her, assaulted her and stabbed her with an unknown weapon. He then took the victim to her residence and stayed with her until the following day,” said the Limpopo police spokesperson, Colonel Malesela Ledwaba.
According to Ledwaba, the victim’s family visited her on Sunday morning and noticed heavy blood stains that led to her room, while her boyfriend was sitting outside the room. “They entered and found her bleeding and seriously injured. They immediately arranged transport to take her to the local clinic where she, unfortunately, succumbed to her injuries. The suspect, who was also at the clinic, disappeared upon the SAPS’s arrival. The police opened a case of murder for further investigation.”
Ledwaba said the investigating team launched a search for the suspect and received positive information, which led to his arrest while in Burgersfort going to Lydenburg at around 20:00 on Sunday.
The Limpopo police commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, condemned the domestic violence incident. “As the SAPS, we take domestic violence incidents very seriously and we urge individuals facing such situations to seek professional support in time. Community members should always take a step when they witness these incidents to save lives.”
The outcome of the suspect’s court appearance was unknown at the time of going to press. The police investigations continue.
