Man killed in Delmas over water dispute

The water crisis in Mpumalanga has claimed the life of a 33-year-old man after he was allegedly shot and killed by a 71-year-old man. Police said both the suspect and the deceased were living at the same address in Delmas. The elderly man is accused of shooting the victim in the eye when the latter allegedly forcefully tried to access water from a JoJo tank stationed at the suspect’s side of the premises.

Police spokesperson Thulisile Magagula said due to ongoing water shortages, the landlord had installed a JoJo tank in the garage to be used when municipal water was unavailable. Magagula said the tank was situated on the suspect’s side of the premises, and allegations were that the deceased attempted to enter the garage of the suspect to switch on the pressure pump to access water. “The suspect reportedly refused him entry.

The deceased then allegedly forced his way to the tap, at which point the suspect shot him at close range, striking him in the left eye,” Magagula said. Magagula also mentioned that after the suspect allegedly threatened to kill the wife of the deceased when she was attempting to check on her husband, community members gathered at the scene and threatened to kill him and burn down his house. “The wife of the deceased attempted to enter the area where her husband had been shot but was threatened by the suspect, who allegedly warned that he would also shoot her.

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She then fled to her side of the house,” she said. The suspect is expected to appear at Delmas magistrate’s court on Tuesday, facing a charge of murder. Acting Mpumalanga police commissioner Maj-Gen Zeph Mkhwanazi has strongly condemned the incident and urged the community to remain calm and allow the police to carry out their duties.

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