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POLOKWANE – The murder case against a 36-year-old Polokwane Municipality employee will be heard again today in Polokwane Magistrates Court, after he was denied bail and his case was postponed on Friday, September 4.
The defendant was arrested on August 7 on charges of attempted murder and intentional damage to property following an incident at the Ladanna municipal facility in which vehicles were damaged and a law enforcement officer was injured.
Read more: Polokwane municipal worker to face murder charge after officer’s death
The charge of attempted murder was later changed to murder after the officer, identified as Rassie Smit (36), succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday, August 18. During the incident, the defendant reportedly locked himself in a municipal truck and was in possession of a weapon.
According to a police report, he threatened those who wanted to get close to him and caused “havoc” when someone tried to intervene. “When his coworkers approached him to find out what was going on, he began to divert the truck in all directions, injuring a law enforcement officer,” said police spokesman Brig Motlafela Mojapleo in an earlier statement.
Since then, video images of this incident have appeared on social media. However, the source could not be verified.
What’s going on in Polokwane?@NCA @SABCNews pic.twitter.com/0h9HgcCvmk
– calvinramotlou (@calvinramotlou) September 9, 2020
“The motive for the incident has not yet been determined and a police investigation continues,” Mojapelo concluded.
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