A 28-year-old South African man, Mukhethwa Tshivhase, has allegedly killed his mother with a broomstick because she ‘hid their food in her room’.

The suspect, a resident of Matangari-Tshiumoni village appeared in the Thohoyandou Magistrate Court on Tuesday, September 7, on a murder charge.

Limpopo regional spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said the incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday, September 5.

He said that the deceased, Caroline Tshivhangwaho Khomola, 58, was asleep when her son came home and demanded food from his mother.

According to Malabi-Dzhangi, Tshivhase started accusing his mother of hiding their food in her bedroom.m

He allegedly became so angry that he picked up a broomstick and started assaulting his mother with it.

The mother tried to run away but collapsed at the gate. She was taken to Donald Fraser Hospital, where she was certified dead on arrival.

Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo confirmed that the police in Thohoyandou are investigating a case of murder.

Tshivhase also has a record for other criminal offences. In 2015, he was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for attempted murder, and in 2009, he was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for stealing a car in Kagiso in Gauteng.

His case was postponed to Monday, 13 September, for a formal bail application and for the accused to get a legal representative. He was remanded in custody.

The traditional leader of Matangari village, Vhamusanda Mutulagole Nyamande, was very shocked about the incident and said that Tshivhase was supposed to protect and look after his mother.

Caroline Khomola worked as a cleaner prior to her death. She will be buried in Matangari-Tshiumoni village on Saturday, 11 September.