Eastern Cape man killed over seating arrangement error

A tragic misunderstanding concerning the seating arrangement at a traditional ceremony in the Eastern Cape has left one man dead and another in police custody, charged with murder.

It’s been a bloody end to 2019, with murders dominating headlines while South Africans attempt to begin the New Year on a positive note. While urban crime has kept law enforcement agencies busy over the festive period, rural recklessness, which often slips under the radar, has spread South African Police Services (SAPS) thin.

In the Eastern Cape, Safer Festive Season operations have netted arrests relating to drunk driving, possession of unlicensed firearms, assault and robbery. Worryingly, murders in the region soared in December.

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Initiation graduation ceremony turns deadly

In Ilinge Township outside Queenstown on Wednesday, what was meant to be a joyous occasion – celebrating an initiation graduation ceremony – turned to tragedy when two men became embroiled in a confrontation relating to the seating arrangement. According to police, an argument initially erupted over ‘seniority’ and quickly spiralled out of control.

Captain Jackson Manatha of the Eastern Cape SAPS confirmed that what started as an innocuous misunderstanding ended in murder, saying:

“There was a misunderstanding about the seating arrangement of the two men aged 23 and 26. The other one was claiming to be the senior to the other. Both men left the house which was full of people.

It is alleged that the 23-year-old suspect fatally stabbed the 26-year-old man on his upper body.”

Police officers were immediately called to the scene and proceeded to arrest the 23-year-old suspect. Manatha explained that the suspect, charged with murder, would appear before the Ezibeleni Magistrates’ Court near Queenstown on Thursday 2 January.

Son kills father in another Eastern Cape killing

Another brutal rural killing in the Eastern Cape – this time in the small village of Centane – shocked community members on 30 December, raising further concerns over wanton violence and poor policing. Manatha described the horrific murder, saying:

“Centane police arrested a 42-year-old man for the murder of his father aged 71.

The accused is alleged to have hit his father with a hammer on Monday, 30 December 2019 at about 04:00. The father passed away inside his house. The motive behind the murder is not clear at this point in time.”

Manatha revealed that the accused, Mampondo Zathu, would appear before the Centane Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 9 January. During his previous court appearance, Zathu was not asked to plead to the charge of murder.