Pretoria - Police in Tubatse, outside Burgersfort in Limpopo, have opened cases of murder and an inquest following an incident in which a 26-year-old man allegedly shot and killed a 19-year-old girl, believed to be his girlfriend, before turning the gun on himself.
Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said the incident took place at Bothashoek, in Dithabaneng village, on Sunday.
“It is alleged that the victim, identified as Dimakatso Mashaba, was at home with her mother when the suspect, believed to be her boyfriend, arrived and requested to talk with her outside the house,” said Mojapelo.
“It is further reported that an argument ensued, and the man then shot the victim several times and fled the scene. The police and members of the emergency medical services (EMS) were called, and on arrival at the scene, the victim (Mashaba) was declared dead.”
Afterwards, the 26-year-old suspect, Tumiso Magabane, was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head a few kilometres from the crime scene.
“The firearm used for the commission of the crime was also found next to his lifeless body. It is believed the man might have turned the gun on himself,” said Mojapelo.
Meanwhile, acting provincial commissioner of police in Limpopo, Major General Jan Scheepers, urged community members experiencing relationship challenges to “seek assistance and desist from resorting to extreme measures of taking lives”.
Police investigations into the circumstances around the incident are still ongoing.
IOL