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By Botho Molosankwe 
11h ago
Polokwane – Limpopo police opened an attempted murder case against a soldier who allegedly shot a man believed to be trying to disarm him at the time.
The incident occurred on Thursday in Mogwadi, Limpopo. The incident is alleged to have been triggered by the fact that the 27-year-old did not wear a mask and later got into a fight with the soldier over the matter.
The South African National Defense Force (SANDF) said the soldiers were on duty in Mogwadi when a group of civilians threatened to disarm one of the officers.
“A shot was fired during the fight and wounded a grown man in the right thigh.
“The wounded man was treated by the local doctor and later transferred to the Helen Franz hospital.
“An attempted murder case was opened at the Mogwadi police station,” SANDF said.
The Limpopo police spokesman said the man was shot at a local shopping complex after noon.
Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said that soldiers were reportedly on duty monitoring Covid-19 compliance in the area when they approached a group of people not wearing masks.
“When asked why they weren’t wearing masks, an argument allegedly broke out and one of the soldiers shot the victim.
“The injured victim was taken to the local hospital where he receives medical attention.
“The 29-year-old soldier was arrested and charged with attempted murder,” Mojapelo said.
He was expected to appear in Morebeng Magistrates Court on Friday.
In July, a soldier shot and killed an armed civilian in Chochocho Village, near Acornhoek, Mpumlanga. The man is believed to be one of the people who delivered collective justice against someone accused of being a criminal.
The shooting is believed to have taken place after the crowd turned their anger on the soldiers and police officers who had arrived at the scene to disperse the crowd.
“During an attempt to disperse community members and defuse the situation, SAPS and SANDF were attacked by community members, resulting in a SANDF member being stabbed with a screwdriver.
“Another person in the community who got out of a car with a firearm was shot later during the incident. SAPS is investigating the incident,” SANDF said at the time.
MESS
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