Maximum police resources have been deployed in the hunt for three suspects in the Thursday night slaying of a mayor of Limpopo.
The attack claimed the life of Moses Maluleke, 56, the mayor of Malamulele’s Collins Chabane local municipality, and injured his son, age 18.
Following the unfortunate occurrence, Athlenda Mathe, a national police spokesperson, said they were searching for suspects.
According to the police, three armed individuals who broke into Maluleke’s house on Thursday night fired at him, killing him.
They demanded cash from the mayor and his son, who is 18 years old.
The men started shooting when the pair resisted their demands.
Thembi Hadebe, the provincial commissioner for Limpopo, has been tasked by national commissioner Fannie Masemola, according to the police, to employ all available means to find those responsible for Maluleke’s murder.
The mayor died immediately from his wounds, but his 18-year-old son, who was also hurt, lived.
“According to reports, three unknown suspects entered the mayor’s home in Saselamani village at 7pm where they demanded money from the deceased mayor and his son. When the pair could not comply with the suspects’ instructions, they were allegedly shot at by the trio,” Mathe said.
Maluleke reportedly passed away there and then, while his son was sent to the closest hospital for care.
According to ANC Limpopo spokesperson Jimmy Machaka, the provincial leadership of the ANC would visit the family as soon as possible.
“I can confirm that Moses Maluleke, the Municipal Mayor of Collins Chabane, was shot dead last night. We know that his son was also injured. We will be releasing the details later on today,” said Machaka
Maluleke, known as “Big-Moss” by his friends and colleagues, was elected mayor in 2018.
The public is urged to contact the Saselamani Police Station or phone the Crime Stop Hotline at 0860010111 if they have any information or believe they may have seen what happened in order to aid police investigations.