Mother arrested after disabled son found with his head chopped off

A 48-year-old woman is expected to soon appear in the Thabamoopo Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo over the death of her 18-year-old son.

Police were called to the scene of a murder on Friday afternoon when they made the gruesome discovery.

“Upon arrival of the police at the scene next to a local tavern, they found the body of an 18-year-old man lying on his wheelchair and his head on the ground.

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“Shockingly, there were no people found on the scene,” police spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba said.

Police found a knife at the scene, allegedly used by the suspect to cut off the man’s head.

An investigation linked the mother to the murder, and she was soon arrested.

The motive for the killing has not been revealed.

The Provincial Commissioner of Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe said he was shocked by the murder.

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“This is a heart-breaking incident that has deeply affected our community and the SAPS family. 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 course without fear or favour,” Hadebe said.

Death by pills

Last year an Eastern Cape woman allegedly killed her children before taking her own life.

According to police, the mother woke her four children, aged between four and 14 years old, to accompany her for a prayer session.

They were taken to a forest in Luzuphu where they were allegedly forced to drink pills. The 14-year-old child resisted and ran for help.

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However, when police arrived on the scene they found the bodies of the woman and her three children.

Preliminary investigation suggested poverty may have been a motive for the murder.

Additional reporting by Vhahangwele Nemakonde