SASELEMANI – Two residents of the Mhinga village Zone 2 in the Saselemani area, Gezani Frank Chauke (55) and his son Mzamani David Chauke (24) briefly appeared in the Saselemani periodical court on Monday on charges of negligent handling of a firearm and murder respectively.

This follows an incident that took place at the Mhinga village Zone 2 last Friday evening, at about 19:00. According to Moatshe Ngoepe the spokesperson of the police in the Mopani area, a group of people, including the accused, was about to slaughter a cow inside the kraal when the incident took place.

According to the statement, the animal broke the rope and went amok before they could kill it. That prompted the old man to produce a firearm, with the aim of shooting the beast. Before he could shoot it, his son, David Chauke, alleged grabbed the firearm from him, saying he was too slow to kill it and that he would do it quickly.

The statement further indicates that Chauke pulled the trigger, firing a stray bullet that killed Mr Rhulani Masia (24) instantly. The two were arrested shortly after the incident. Frank Chauke was charged with the negligent handling of a firearm, while the son was charged with murder.

They appeared in the Saselemani periodical court on Monday. They were not asked to plead. Frank Chauke was released after being warned, while his son was refused bail. They will appear in the same court again next Tuesday, March 23.