According to the police, on March 10, 2019, an argument turned violent between Theko and the deceased, Xolile Jele, at a tavern in Shatale Zone 1.
The police reported that after the incident Theko was nowhere to be found. A provincial police spokesperson, Col Donald Mdhluli, said, “The court sentenced Tumelo Theko after the state presented a watertight case against him.
On March 10, 2019 the accused had an Nothando Makhubela argument with the victim which turned violent whereby Theko fatally shot the 28-year-old Xolile Jele,” he said.
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“After the incident, the suspect fled the scene and went into hiding,” Mdhuli added.
A murder case was then reported at the SAPS in Bushbuckridge. The police conducted an investigation and Theko was arrested, charged with murder and possession of an unlicensed firearm in Carolina on August 16, 2019. He was found guilty and was sentenced.
The provincial police commissioner, Lt Gen Semakaleng Manamela, commended the investigation team, prosecution and the judiciary for ensuring that justice was served for the Jele family.
