Family in trouble following death of illegal immigrant

Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Wednesday November 1, 2017 14:48

He said that they are investigating a matter in which an illegal immigrant from Zimbabwe, being an old woman died under the care of a family residing at Mathangwane village.Mbereki said that the case was reported to the police on Sunday at 4pm. He said the family stated that the deceased has been working as their maidservant without required legal documents. Mbereki said that according to the family the deceased was left alone when they embarked on a weekend getaway to Serowe village last week Friday.

He said that upon their return on October 29 they found the deceased body lying lifeless. He said the family stated that the deceased suffered from a long illness, which they suspected took her life. Mbereki said that the family reported the case on the same day asking for police intervention because they knew nothing about the deceased family background. He indicated that the deceased was an illegal immigrant and did not have a working permit.

He said they are still yet to establish the deceased personal background so that they can locate her relatives in Zimbabwe. The police boss said that the family is currently not in police custody but helping them with investigations.

Mbereki indicated that the family would be charged with harbouring an illegal immigrant, which attracts a fine ranging from P500 to P1,000. He appealed to the community to stop staying with illegal immigrants without permits to avoid such circumstances. Meanwhile, no arrest has been made in connection with a teenager who was brutally murdered at her parents’ house in Mathangwane village.

“We have not made any arrest in connection with the murder of a teenage girl in Mathangwane but we are working around the clock to nail the culprits,” Mbereki said. He said that members of the public should assist them in order to trace the perpetrators. He urged the community to participate in community policing so that they can use neighbourhood watch strategy to know what is happening in their locality.

Mbereki said that community policing would be the biggest weapon in arresting suspects. The young girl was found by her older brother around 10am during the Independence celebrations. The deceased was brutally killed with a sharp object, which the police suspect to be a knife.

The deceased was a student at Chamabona Junior Secondary School and was supposed to be sitting for the ongoing Junior Certificate Examinations.