Mankweng woman shot by husband after argument

Yet another South African woman has lost her life at the hands of her husband in a domestic violence dispute.

According to the police, a 49-year-old woman from Mankweng, outside Polokwane, was shot by her husband, who was a licensed firearm owner, after the two had a domestic squabble.

Police spokesperson, Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, said police are investigating a murder that took place in Mankweng Unit D on Sunday, 2 April 2023, at about 2:45pm.

ALSO READ: Blaming government for GBV a ‘convenient’ narrative, says dept 

“It is alleged both suspect and victim, who are husband (50) and wife, had an argument. It appears that the argument became so heated that the husband pulled out a 9mm firearm and shot his wife,” he said.

The wife was taken by an ambulance to the hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.

Ledwaba said that when the husband eventually learned that his wife had succumbed to her injuries, he immediately drove himself to the police station in Mankweng and handed himself over.

He was immediately placed under arrest and is expected to appear before Mankweng Magistrate’s Court on charges of murder soon.

Licensed firearm

“The firearm he allegedly used was licensed and confiscated for further investigation,” Ledwaba confirmed.

Ledwaba said that the nature of the argument is thought to have been over domestic-related problems, but the exact details about it are not confirmed at this stage.

The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police Service in Limpopo, Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe, has condemned the incident and pleaded with couples going through relationship problems to seek counselling before the situation becomes deadly.  

“These incidents of gender-based violence is becoming a societal problem,” he said.

ALSO READ: Gauteng crime stats: Murder, rape increase; GBV identified as main factor

Gauteng Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela shared the province’s Q3 crime statistics for October and December 2022 earlier this month, revealing that the main drivers of these crimes were assault and gender-based violence.

Rape, murder, attempted murder and other serious contact crimes increased in the province, with an overall increase of 7.1%.

Additional reporting by Cheryl Kahla