Mob arrested for arson

Eight members of the community at Mageva Village in Giyani were arrested and charged with public violence, arson and malicious damage to property.

March 2, 2020

Letaba Herald 1 minute read

The house belonging to the man suspected of being responsible for the death of Nkuna was gutted by fire allegedly started by a mob. Photo supplied

This happened after a mob, apparently angered by the death of a farmer, Soyaphi Thomas Nkuna (63), went on a rampage.

It is alleged that after the discovery of the body next to Maphata Village, a mob blocked the road and burned a house belonging to the man suspected of being responsible for Nkuna’s death.

Police spokesperson, Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo, said Nkuna, a former teacher at Kheto N’umalo High School in Giyani, was found with gunshot and stab wounds.

Mojapelo said that police investigations revealed that Nkuna left his home at Mageva Village in the Dzumeri area at about 02:00, in his motor vehicle to patrol his farm and to look for cattle.

The family was surprised when he didn’t return home.

Also read: GIYANI:Four arrested for arson and public violence

The deceased’s grey Nissan Hardbody motor vehicle, with registration numbers BDM 086 L is still missing.

Police have opened cases of murder and carjacking. According to the Giyani Police Station communication officer, Constable Rigdewell Rikhotso, no one had been arrested in relation to Nkuna’s killing at the time of going to press.

An appeal is made to anyone with information that can lead to the arrest of the suspect(s) and the recovery of the vehicle to urgently contact Lieutenant Colonel Makhubela at 082 729 0327 or the crime stop number 08600 10111.

Meanwhile, the eight arrested suspects are due to appear in court on charges of public violence, arson and malicious damage to property.

At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!

March 2, 2020

Letaba Herald 1 minute read

Emelda Tintswalo Shipalana

Tintswalo Shipalana, a journalist for the Letaba Herald, has been in the media industry for over a decade. She started her journey in radio, but ended up in print which is her first love. She joined the Herald newspaper as a cadet in 2016, where she graduated with a journalism qualification from the Caxton Training Academy. She also has a qualification in Feature Writing from the University of Cape Town and a Media Management qualification from Wits University. She is completing her BA Communication Science degree with UNISA. She sleeps well at night knowing she is a voice to the voiceless and her work contributes to promoting local talent, businesses and service delivery. Her love for her community keeps her working hard every day.