Zimbabwe: Maun police have arrested two men in connection with two separate murder incidents that occurred at Sanyedi and Matshwane wards in Maun on Christmas Eve.
Assistant superintendent Kgakgamatso Koboyatshwene confirmed in an interview that two men aged 34 and 33 were in police custody to assist with investigations of the two incidents.
The first incident, he said, involved a 48-year-old woman from Zimbabwe who was suspected of having been murdered by a 47-year-old Motswana man at Sanyedi ward.
He said they received a report from the deceased’s neighbours after her friends, who went to check on her, found her lying motionless on the floor of her rented room with no visible injuries.
“Before the friends entered the house, they saw my father in a car parked next to the deceased’s house. And when they entered the house, he left,” said Mr Koboyatshwene.
He said, fortunately, the friends had noted the vehicle’s registration number, which helped the police to trace the owner, whom they later apprehended.
“The said suspect is in our custody helping us with investigations while the deceased was rushed to Letsholathebe Memorial hospital, where she was certified dead,” he added.
In another incident that took place at Matshwane ward, a 33-year-old man is suspected of having hit a 47- year-old man with a hard object on the head after a misunderstanding at an entertainment spot.
Ass. Supt Koboyatshwene revealed that the deceased sustained serious injuries and was certified dead upon arrival at the hospital.
Since the beginning of the year, the police have recorded 22 incidents of murder as compared to the 13 recorded during the same period last year.
The police chief noted that statistics were worrisome and appealed to the public to avoid taking decisions when angry and to always seek advice from relatives, social workers and tribal leaders instead of resorting to violence.
Meanwhile, police are investigating a fatal accident which occurred on December 23.
Ass. Supt Koboyatshwene said that the accident involved a 16-seater minibus. He said the Tutume bound minibus, which was from Makalabedi, was carrying 11 passengers, including the driver.
He said they suspected the driver lost control, and the minibus, veered off the road leaving four people with serious injuries while the rest sustained minor injuries.
The four, he said, were admitted at Letsholathebe hospital, and one died the following day while the three were recuperating.
He appealed to drivers to drive responsibly during the festive season.