Bushbuckridge – A teenager accused of fatally shooting a 55-year-old tuckshop owner during a car hijacking is expected to make his first appearance in the Bushbuckridge Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga today, (3 September 2023).
The 17-year-old suspect has been charged with murder, hijacking, and possession of an unlicensed firearm.
His accomplice is still being sought by the police.
Allegations are that the teenager and his accomplice fatally shot Edwin Malele, who was driving an Opel Corsa.
The pair accosted Malele at a four-way intersection in Shatale, near Bushbuckridge, in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, said preliminary investigations indicate the suspects were attempting to hijack Malele when one of the two assailants fired a shot.
Brigadier Mohlala said the suspects, however, left Malele for dead and instead hijacked another car.
“The victim was reportedly shot in his upper body. Thereafter he was transported to hospital, where he later succumbed to the injuries,” Brigadier Mohlala said.
The hijacked Nissan bakkie was later found at a tavern, where the teenager was arrested.
Brigadier Mohlala said: “During his arrest, police found an unlicensed firearm with its serial number filed off”.
The recovered gun would be sent for ballistic testing to check if it had been used in other crimes.
Police were still searching for the teenager’s accomplice.
