POLOKWANE – The police in Bochum have opened an inquest docket and a case of murder following their discovery of the bodies of two paramedics on Sunday morning (February 26).
Police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo reports Mokhapi Phalandwa (44) was shot and killed by her husband, Norman Phalandwa (55) who then turned the gun on himself.
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Mojapelo said preliminary investigations conducted by the police revealed that the woman obtained a protection order against her husband who then decided to move out of the house to stay in a rented room in the area.
“It is alleged that the woman visited her husband at his rented room on Sunday morning. He then took out a firearm and shot his wife and thereafter shot himself. The police were called and found both bodies in the street with gunshot wounds on arrival,” his statement read.
The couple were attached to the Helena Franz Emergency Medical Services (EMS) according to the Department of Health.
Both the provincial police commissioner Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe and the MEC for Health Dr Phophi Ramathuba have urged people experiencing domestic issues to seek professional help instead of resorting to violence.
“This incident happened few months after we lost other EMS personnel to an alleged case of domestic violence. Marital problems are a precursor of mental health problems. We therefore want to encourage our people to seek the necessary help,” Ramathuba said.
