Maun cop charged with murder to appear in court

Sharon Mathala | Wednesday October 22, 2014 17:00

The 32-year-old Wazha Salani is accused of killing his girlfriend (names known to this publication) at her home with a rifle, on October 7. The man has since been remanded in police custody. 

Eyewitnesses told Mmegi that the officer allegedly had a misunderstanding with the deceased, who was the mother of their five-year-old son.

“The couple apparently started having fights since Saturday but all hell apparently broke loose on the fateful Tuesday night.”

“I heard the man was still on duty and was supposed to knock off at 10pm.  He however left work and drove to the deceased’s home. He called her to the car. The deceased was wrapped in only a towel when she went out to see him,” said a source who preferred anonymity.

An argument apparently ensued between the two. Witnesses suddenly saw the woman bolting from the car.

“The woman fled from the police vehicle and the accused pulled out the rifle. The woman tried to escape and fled into the house of one of the tenants renting in the yard. The enraged man threatened to kill both of them,” related the witness.

Another onlooker said the officer suddenly opened fire.

“The AK47 was probably on automatic mode... After shooting her, the accused dashed to the house. I think he was looking for their son. Maybe he wanted to kill him too. The accused however dropped his mission and fled the scene in a different personal car,” said the witness.

This is not the first traumatic incident to occur in the neighbourhood. In 2009, Constable Tshepiso Sebetlela shot dead Mothusinyana Sephiri of Sanyedi ward, not far from where the latest shooting took place. During the inquest, Sebetlela who was eventually charged with murder claimed he had shot Sephiri by mistake.