The community of Mamaila village, outside Tzaneen in Limpopo, is still reeling in shock after a man allegedly killed his mother with an axe. . It is alleged that the 42-year-old suspect's neighbours heard him shouting and insulting his mother before the murder.

According to Limpopo police, the suspect called one of the neighbours to come and see what he was carrying in the wheelbarrow and upon checking, it was discovered that he was carrying a lifeless body of his mother in a steel bath. Provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba, said the police were notified about the incident. "Upon arrival at the scene, they found the body of a woman wrapped in a blanket inside a steel bath. EMS personnel were summoned to the scene and the female victim was certified dead at the scene and she was identified as Mamaila Moloi Matele (69)," Mashaba said.

Mashaba said after learning of the incident, community members mobilised themselves and immediately attacked the suspect. "Police managed to rescue the male suspect from the hands of community members. He was taken to the hospital where he is under police guard," said Mashaba. Provincial police commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has welcomed the arrest of the suspect and warned the community against vigilantism following the assault of the suspect. Hadebe also called on community members to refrain from engaging in violence when faced with domestic challenges and to rather resolve issues amicably. She stressed that any differences should be addressed within the confines of the law and not take the law into own hands. The suspect will appear before Tiyani Magistrate Court soon and is facing a charge of murder.Police are still investigating.