12 year-old charged with murder of his baby brother

Police in Mankweng have opened a case of murder after a 12-year-old boy shot dead his three-year-old brother at Makgeng village, gaMolepo in the Mankweng district east of Polokwane.

The mother who heard the gunshot found the critically injured child and rushed him to the local clinic but he was certified dead on arrival.

The firearm belonged to their 53-year-old father, a former security officer who was apparently not at home at the time of the incident.

The firearm has been seized by the police and an investigation is being conducted.

The Provincial Commissioner of the South African Police in Limpopo, Lieutenant-General Nneke Ledwaba has condemned this incident and directed that, in addition to the investigations into the circumstances of the shooting, appropriate steps must be taken against the father for keeping the firearm in contravention of the Firearms Control Act.

“I urge all lawful firearm owners to, at all times keep them in the locked safes to avoid unauthorized access,” Ledwaba said.

The 12-year-old suspect will be dealt with in accordance with the processes governing the children who are in conflict with the law.

Probation officers have already been engaged to take the process forward.