Tensions run high after Zim woman kills shop manager

Bonte Seepi | Thursday October 19, 2017 16:58

The incident happened on Saturday after the woman tried to steal a P16 can of beef. PR is located along the Palapye main road in Serorome ward. According to eyewitnesses, the Zimbabwean woman who was accompanied by a man, is alleged to have stolen the beef from the shop before being confronted by the shop manager who spotted the incident.

The man reportedly escaped leaving the woman behind. Witnesses say the deceased then closed the store to question the woman, but a fight ensued when the woman could not give convincing answers. She then stabbed the manager with a knife on the thigh, causing massive blood loss. “We suspect she got the knife from the shop shelves,” a witness said.

The deceased, from Senete village, is suspected to have died after losing too much blood. Palapye Police Station commander, superintendent Laborer Ramada said a 30-year-old from Zimbabwe was in custody in connection with the matter.

“According to our investigations, the incident happened around past six on Saturday afternoon. The victim, a 61-year-old man was an employee of the store and he was stabbed by the suspect with a sharp object on the thigh. He was confirmed dead on arrival at hospital,” Ramaja said. Police are still probing the matter, although Ramaja said the incident was a rarity and the first reported in his jurisdiction in a long time. 

The incident has enraged villagers here, who are calling for the death penalty to be swiftly applied on the woman. Irate locals are even calling for the mass deportation of all foreign nationals, while others have declared war on Zimbabweans whom they say are terrorising them in their country.

“All we want is justice for our fellow Motswana whose precious soul has been taken before time. This man was like a father to many and it is so sad that he was robbed of his life just like that,” one resident commented on social media.