Limpopo boy in wheelchair decapitated: Cops arrest mom

A gruesome murder in Leshikishiki village in the Lebowakgomo policing area of Limpopo has led to a shock arrest.

In a statement, provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba says a 48-year-old mother was arrested shortly after her 18-year-old wheelchair-bound son’s head-less body was found.

“A report was lodged about the murder of a young man at around 13:00 on Friday. Upon arrival of the police at the scene next to a local tavern, they found the decapitated body of an 18-year-old man lying on his wheelchair and his head on the ground. Shockingly, there were no people found on the scene,” explains Mashaba.

He says police investigations led to the location of the boy’s mother.

“Subsequent to thorough investigations, she was positively linked to the murder of her own son and arrested. Police have also seized a knife at the scene, allegedly used by the suspect to cut off the victim’s head,” Mashaba adds.

He says the motive for the killing is not yet known and that a murder case was opened. The mother will soon appear in the Thabamoopo Magistrate’s Court, Mashaba confirms.

The gruesome killing has shocked Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe. “While the police are duty bound to protect and serve the public, the parents have a critical role to nurture and protect their children. This horrendous act by the senseless mother is condemned in its contempt. The law will take [its] course without fear or favour,” adds Hadebe.