Elderly landlord allegedly kills tenant in heated argument over utilities

A 72-year-old man is due in the Brits Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday after a property dispute turned violent.

The man is accused of killing another man who was renting a unit on a plot outside Hartebeespoort Dam.

After fleeing the scene, the elderly man was tracked down nearby and will face a charge of murder.

Argument over utilities

The argument between the 72-year-old landlord and his 66-year-old tenant began over water and electricity.

The tenant approached the owner of the property on Sunday afternoon, complaining that the utilities at his unit were not functioning.

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A heated altercation turned deadly when the landlord went into his house and returned with a firearm.

He is alleged to have shot his tenant in the upper body before fleeing the scene. Unknown individuals took the victim to the hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.

“The suspect was arrested during an intelligence driven operation conducted around the Skeerport area,” confirmed North West police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Amanda Funani.

“The police also recovered a firearm, which will be subjected to ballistics tests,” Funani added.

Bus driver killed in Free State

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, police are requesting assistance in locating suspects linked to the murder of a bus driver in Botshabelo.

The 39-year-old deceased returned home in his own vehicle in the early hours of Sunday morning.

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Identified as Lebohang Patric Ntuli, the man was waiting for his children to open the door of their home when he was attacked by an unknown gunman.

“He ran away asking for help, but unfortunately his assailant followed him until a few houses from the deceased’s house. That is where he was fatally shot,” confirmed Free State police spokesperson Sergeant Sinah Mpakane 

A case of murder has been opened, and anyone with knowledge of the attack is asked to contact their nearest police station as soon as possible.

Murder up in North West, down in Free State

In the crime stats released for the first quarter of the 2024/25 financial year, North West recorded a 20.3% increase in reported murder cases.

By contrast, Free State recorded a 10.6% drop from 227 between April and June 2023 to 203 murders reported in those same three months of 2024.

Nationally, there was a marginal improvement of 0.5%, with 6 198 murders registered in the stated three month period, as opposed to 6 228 from last year.