Homeless Man Shot Dead After Asking for a Slice of Pizza, South Africans Say Attacker Was Defending Himself

• The White River police in Mpumalanga responded to the murder of a homeless man on Saturday, 25 March
• The homeless man reportedly asked his attacker for a slice of pizza before he was shot dead
• South Africans are a little on the fence about the incident, with some saying that the attacker was defending himself

WHITE RIVER - A homeless person was tragically murdered after he asked his attacker for food in White River, Mpumalanga, on Saturday, 25 March.

Homeless man asks attacker for pizza

According to TimesLIVE, the police at White River Police Station heard gunshots at around 7pm on Saturday. Police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala says the homeless man asked a man for a slice of pizza, but he was denied.

The homeless man hit the man with a chain for not giving him a slice. The 39-year-old assailant then drew his weapon and shot the homeless man. He was certified dead on the scene.

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The man was swiftly arrested and charged with murder. Speaking to IOL, Mohlala stated that the police confiscated the assailant's weapon and firearm licence.

The gunman is expected to appear in the White River Magistrate's Court.

South Africans question the state of the country after homeless man gets killed

Some South Africans were shocked to learn that a homeless person was murdered after asking for a slice of pizza. However, others stated that the 39-year-old was simply defending himself because the homeless man attacked him first.

Here are a few comments from Facebook users:

Senzo Inno Mgoduka said:

"What a sick country, ANC government has destroyed every good thing we had. I remember in the olden days, we used to walk the streets freely. When you see a person or people approaching afar, you'd feel safe and continue with your journey, BUT today, when you see people, you must take cover for you don't know their intentions."

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Ngazi Obos Petu said:

"Self-defence... The homeless man attacked the suspect."

Mello Wa Pta said:

"The victim unchained his tastebuds at the sight of a pizza when he realised that he will never get the taste, he used a chain... this story is about chains, how a proverbial chain of envy was broken and how a physical chain was used as a weapon; now the suspect is in chains or behind iron bars! Let's chain our desires for good people, and arrest the desires for people's things!"

Emanuel Komane aid:

"Self-defence is justifiable... The victim used a chain prior to this shooting. The use of lethal force is when there's an attack against you. A chain is an object that can be regarded as a weapon. If you read the story, there was nothing wrong with what the accused did. That's firearm law."

Taxi industry slammed after 23 drivers were arrested for attacking cops, demanding release of murder suspect

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In other news, Briefly News reported that police in Mpumalanga arrested 23 taxi operators for public violence after the group attacked police at the Witbank Police Station.

The taxi drivers stormed the police station on Monday, 20 March, demanding the release of one of their colleagues who was being held in custody for murder and attempted murder.

Officers on duty informed the angry group that their demands could not be met and ordered the drivers to leave the premises.

Source: Briefly News