POLOKWANE – The 33-year-old man who was arrested within minutes after a shooting incident at Legacy Motor Group BMW Polokwane on Monday (April 4) abandoned bail and will remain in custody.
Read more: JUST IN: One dead after robbery at Polokwane car dealership
Immanuel Charles Maboko, from Burgersfort, appeared in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday (April 6) on charges of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson, Mashudu Malabi Dzhangi said the matter has been postponed to May 6 for further investigations.
Police incident reports confirmed the shooting victim as the 57-year-old Edward Luvhimbi, a teacher from the Vhembe district. Little did Luvhimbi, who was accompanied by his niece on his visit to BMW, know that his life would end so brutally.
His niece, who wants to remain anonymous, told Polokwane Observer that her uncle had gone to the dealership after his vehicle had been serviced.
“He was talking on his cellphone when the suspect walked into the dealership and shot my uncle twice. It was a terrible shock.”
Maboko then demanded the keys to a vehicle before driving off.
The police were contacted and with the help of other crime fighters and information from the vehicle’s tracking device, Maboko was apprehended in the parked vehicle in a field close to the Peter Mokaba Stadium. Two unlicensed firearms were found in the vehicle.
Legacy Motor Group general manager: customer experience, public relations, marketing and IT operations, Edward Makwana says the dealership has since put additional measures in place to tighten security to ensure that employees and customers are safe.
“We are still in shock and want to take this moment to express our heartfelt and deepest condolences to the Luvhimbi family. At Legacy Motor Group we know that customers are our only reason for existence and this is why we have taken the decision to support the family of the deceased in their darkest hour.
“In addition, we have been supporting our employees with trauma counselling to help them deal with the overwhelming shock of this unfortunate experience. This counselling began on Monday, a few hours after the incident. We immediately arranged for trauma counsellors. We will continue to monitor progress and offer additional counselling to any employee who still requires psychological support. We put our faith in the police and the South African justice system to ensure that justice for the deceased is served.”
On Tuesday (April 5), police spokesperson, Brig Motlafela Mojapelo confirmed that Maboko has been sought by police for another shooting incident in Tubatse that occurred on Friday (April 1). Maboko was thought to have been involved in the shooting and killing of Lucas Malatji (35).
“It is alleged that the suspect went to the house of the victim at Mabocha village on April 1 at around 06:00, parked his vehicle at the gate and called the victim. When the victim alighted from the house, the suspect fired several shots killing the victim instantly. He then fled the scene,” Mojapelo said.
Malatji was reportedly hired by Maboko for building work and the motive for the murder will be determined by ongoing investigations, according to Mojapelo. He added that the firearms that were seized by the police will be subjected to ballistic investigations to determine whether they were used in the commission of other serious crimes.
Luvhimbi is survived by his wife, four children and grandchildren.
