Police in Serowe are investigating two murder cases that occurred in two separate incidents on Thursday and Friday respectively. Serowe Police Station commander, Superintendent Poloko Oteng said the first incident occurred at Gaanatwe ranch, Sandvelt on Thursday after two men allegedly assaulted a 23-year-old man of Mmashoro village.

“The deceased had sustained bruises suspected to have been from a strike from a blunt object. Two men, a 27-year-old man of Mabuo and an 18-year-old man of Malatswai villages are currently in police custody helping the police with investigations. Before the murder incident, the two were seen quarrelling with the deceased, hence are suspected to have assaulted him to death,” Oteng said.

In another incident that was reported on Friday at around 7pm, Oteng said the deceased was found by a passerby lying on the ground lifeless by the roadside at Makwa cattle post located between Mmashoro and Dimajwe villages and reported the matter to the police.

Oteng said the 40-year-old woman of Mathwana ward at Mmashoro village who had sustained body injuries as if she was hit with a blunt object, is suspected to have been killed by her boyfriend who is still at large.

He stated that investigations into the matter are ongoing to locate the deceased’s boyfriend who was last seen before the murder incident.

“Murder cases remain a concern in my policing area despite police interventions to curb this scourge. It’s the beginning of the month and we have already recorded two murder cases. Unlawful wounding cases that usually lead to murder in my policing area are of great concern,” he said.

Oteng further revealed they are investigating an incident in which a man was found lying unconscious in a pool of blood suspected to have been stabbed with a sharp object on Saturday night at Masilo Bar at Makola ward in Serowe. “The incident was reported at around 11:40pm. The victim is fighting for his life at Sekgoma Memorial Hospital and we are waiting for him to regain consciousness to reveal what transpired. We do not know who stabbed him hence we have not yet arrested suspect(s) in relation to this offence,” he said.

The senior police officer said murder cases that initially start as unlawful wounding remain a concern and they are worsened by alcohol intake as they usually occur when people are intoxicated or at entertainment spots. He said they have observed that most of the victims and perpetrators are the youth, especially men.

Oteng said a majority of these men have a habit of carrying knives in their possession while entertaining themselves and drinking alcohol.

He added that they suspect that these weapons are the ones that give people the confidence to fight whenever they are involved in a misunderstanding. “We have been pleading with members of the public through kgotla meetings to respect the sanctity of life and leave knives out of disputes, but our pleas continue to fall on deaf ears,” he said.