At around 23:45 on Tuesday evening, a mother and her son were encountered in by armed individuals who forced them into their home in Nkowankowa Section B.
The individuals allegedly demanded money from the woman, who is thought to have shares in a local mine.
According to reports, the individuals were under the perception that she had money in her house, and that is what they were trying to obtain.
They then ransacked the house in search of the alleged money, but to no avail.
The suspects left the house with the mother and her son, with two suspects leaving in the woman’s Mercedes Benz, and the others then took the mother and the son in the suspects’ vehicle, forcing the son into the boot of the vehicle.
According to a security official, once they didn’t get their money, the men who took the woman’s Mercedes Benz then went to nearby ATMs so that they could withdraw money from her bank account/s.
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While they were there, a Maake Police Officer, driving his own Mercedes Benz (it is unknown whether the officer was on duty or not), noticed the suspicious activity and then stopped at the scene. He exited his vehicle and took the keys out of the ignition of the vehicle that the suspects were driving.
From there, two suspects then fired three shots at the officer, hitting him in his body and on his arm. They then tried to overpower him and force him into the boot of one of the vehicles. The officer managed to get away and flee the scene in his Mercedes Benz, still with the keys to the other vehicle in his possession.
He drove himself to Dr CN Phatudi Hospital, from which he was later transferred to MediClinic Tzaneen.
This meant that the suspects were unable to take the Mercedes Benz again, leaving it abandoned at/near Maputla Tavern, according to Limpopo Police Spokesperson, Lt. Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe.
When the vehicle was found later that morning, it was found with a number of bullet holes in the front and back of the vehicle.
The officer in turn alerted a local security official at around 00:30 on Wednesday morning, who in turn contacted an Ofcolaco security official asking them to begin surveying the area.
While these events unfolded, the other suspects went to the residence of the woman’s business partner, who was also shot.
After visiting the business partner’s residence, the suspects drove the mother and son to the Harmony area. According to a security official, the woman said that the suspects had firearms pointed at her from all directions during everything.
They dropped the son, predicted to be in his twenties, approximately 3km down the gravel road towards Harmony.
The son tried to wake farmers to alert them, but did not succeed. This led to him making his way towards Ofcolaco in search of help. The son was found by Ofcolaco CPF officials at the R36 crossing towards Sekororo.
It is unknown what time the son was found.
Events leading up to the finding of the mother are unknown, but she was eventually found at 05:30 in the Ofcolaco area.
*Although the identities of the victims are known, Letaba Herald will withhold this information to protect those involved.
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