Africa-Press – South-Africa. Limpopo police and other Good Samaritans have built a house for a woman left paralysed after her partner allegedly shot her at home with their children present.
The man alleged to have shot her, Johannes Mpoke Malatji, allegedly stayed with her while she was badly injured before taking her to the hospital on the fourth day at the urging of one of the children.
She left the hospital in a wheelchair and back to her one-room windowless shack that she shared with her four children. However, Limpopo police stepped in and the family now lives in a three-bedroom house.
Malatji, who was arrested for the shooting, is currently out on R10 000 bail.
He will be back at Mankweng Magistrate’s Court on 13 July.
The woman’s sister, *Jane, said the shooting occurred in March 2022 when Malatji returned from Johannesburg.
“In the evening, he shot my sister on the right side of her head.”
Jane said the children did not hear anything but were surprised to see their mother’s body not moving the following day.
“He must’ve used a silent gun because the children did not hear anything. The children were all in the house when this happened.”
She said her sister’s eldest daughter, who’s 13 years old, asked Malatji to take their mother to the hospital on numerous occasions because she was just lying still and not moving.
Malatji only did so on the fourth day.
Jane said:
“He then called me to say my sister was hospitalised because she had hit her head on the bed. I identified the woman as my sister when I got to the hospital.
“I then explained to the doctors that her boyfriend had said she had hit the bed. They disputed that and said ‘this person was shot,'” she said.
According to Jane, her sister’s life has completely changed since the shooting.
“Her whole right side of the body doesn’t work. She sits in a wheelchair, and she can’t speak. Our mother now lives with her to assist her.”
She added that the children had also taken this the hard way and were still finding it challenging to navigate life since the incident.
“This man shared the space with these children. He lived with the children and is a biologoical father to two of my sister’s children – a 4-year-old and a one-year-old.
“They would always argue, and that’s not good for the children.”Since the incident, the eldest child cries easily, and is paranoid.”
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said it was after the investigating officer observed the living conditions and found that the family lived in a one-room shack with no windows, that he informed local social workers.
“Every year during the national excellence awards in January, the SAPS human resource management division identifies a family of a victim of crime in the province where the awards are held as part of the SAPS corporate social investment plan.
“This is a collaborative effort between the SAPS and corporate partners such as Old Mutual. The housing project is a project between SAPS and Old Mutual. Old Mutual assisted the SAPS in building and furnishing the house with the assistance of SAPS Limpopo and the local municipality,” said Mathe.
Mathe added that giving back to their communities was a huge part of the South African Police Services.
Jane said the house was a blessing to the family.
“We are grateful to all those who helped with the house. It’s a blessing to us,” she said.
*Not her real name.
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