Limpopo Cops Urge Intervention Be Sought After Attending Killing, Attempted Murder-Suicide Incidents
- Police responded to two distressing domestic and gender-based violence (GBV) incidents in Limpopo
- In one incident, a man was arrested for allegedly brutally killing his 14-year-old stepdaughter in Mankweng
- In Malegale village, a man shot and wounded one person and tried to kill his wife before committing suicide
- Police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba told Briefly News the incidents were being investigated
Source: Original
Tshepiso Mametela is a seasoned journalist and the Head of Current Affairs at Briefly News. He reported live from President Cyril Ramaphosa's inauguration and has written articles on politics, crime, courts, accidents, and topics including sports at The Herald and Opera News SA over several years.
LIMPOPO — Domestic and gender-based violence (GBV) incidents in two Limpopo districts have caused concern for police, sparking calls for would-be perpetrators to seek professional help.
This is after law enforcement in the Capricorn and Sekhukhune Districts responded to alarming incidents on Friday, 14 March 2025.
Violent incidents spark concern
In the first, police arrested the stepfather of a 14-year-old teenager for her brutal murder in Ga-Thoka village, outside the Capricorn District township of Mankweng (Turfloop).
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Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said the incident happened at about 6.30am as the girl child was making her way to school.
"The victim was walking with a fellow learner when the 48-year-old suspect [allegedly] accosted and stabbed her several times with a sharp object. He fled the scene on foot, leaving her for dead.
"When police arrived, they found the victim in a pool of blood on the [side of the] road, and wearing her school uniform. Emergency responders certified her dead at the scene," said Ledwaba.
Police launched a manhunt for the suspect, leading to his arrest in Polokwane CBD. Ledwaba, who told Briefly News it was unknown how the suspect travelled to Polokwane, said police information indicated that he had reportedly entered into a domestic dispute with the teenager's mother the previous night.
The suspect was later identified as Andrew Mehlape after appearing in the Mankweng Magistrate's Court on Monday, 17 March. During the brief appearance, Mehlape, 48, was indicted on charges of premeditated murder, intimidation and arson. the case was postponed to 24 March.
Source: Twitter
In a separate, second incident, police attended to an attempted murder-suicide involving a 75-year-old man at Malegale village in Sekhukhune.
Ledwaba said at about 11pm, the suspect drove around looking for his intended victim, a man whom he had reportedly bought bricks from.
"He eventually found the victim in his car on the street, and without saying anything, shot him in the upper body. The victim managed to drive to the nearest hospital for medical treatment," he said.
'The 75-year-old returned to his house, where he lived with his wife, and he proceeded to douse it in liquid before setting it alight."
Ledwaba said the man then entered a room where his wife had been sleeping and awoke her.
"Threatened to kill her, he instructed that she to get inside the burning house with him. But she took off on foot and he attempted to chase her down while firing several shots [in her direction]."
Fortuitously, she managed to get away without being harmed. The man turned the gun on himself and died at the scene.
Police are investigating an inquest while Ledwaba, responding to a Briefly News inquiry, said the motive for the attack was unknown.
"We urge anyone who is in a GBV situation or experiencing domestic violence to seek assistance from a professional," he added.
According to the Limpopo Department of Transport and Community Safety's 2024/2025 quarterly crime statistics, the province experienced a 2.5% increase in murder in the second quarter, while there was a significant 13.2% decrease in attempted murder in the second quarter.
A total of 30,063 suspects were arrested in the second quarter from July to September 2024, and 28,946 in the third quarter from October to December 2024.
Ghastly psychiatric ward crime scene
In a related story, Briefly News reported that police are investigating a gruesome murder and attempted murder after an attack at a psychiatric facility in Siyabuswa, Limpopo.
Visible policing patrollers in the Dennilton area received reports about an assault at the facility at about 2am on Saturday, 8 March.
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Source: Briefly News
