Man arrested on suspicions of killing his mother with an axe

Police in Kanye have finally apprehended a 37-year-old man, Peke Rangaka of Goo Kgano ward for questioning in connection with his mother’s death. He is due to appear before court this Wednesday.

Rangaka had been on the run since last Thursday after his mother's body was discovered lifeless . He had been living with his 59-year-old mother, Keafiwa Rangaka, whose lifeless body bearing axe wounds was found lying on the floor of her house that Thursday morning, with a wardrobe on top.

It is alleged that the suspect was in the habit of raping his mother and it is widely believed that she was sexually assaulted before being murdered.

According to a male family relative who spoke to The Midweek Sun, the suspect had long abused his mother and had previously assaulted her, leaving her in a coma.

After she recovered, the mother of two decided to move to Lobatse, leaving her son to live alone in the home where the crime later occurred, in Kanye.

'Even when she lived in Lobatse, she continued to provide for her son. She was a hardworking vendor, but all her son ever wanted was the family ploughing field, which she never agreed to give him,' he said.

News of his eventual arrest came as a relief as outraged neighbours said they had been living in fear not knowing where he was. Reports say that although he had not shown up since the death of the mother, there are some who saw him pass by the homestead n Sunday morning after that afternoon's prayer service. He was eventually arrested on Monday.

'We lived in fear. We did not know what could happen next, as the suspect previously struck a community member on the head with a three-legged pot, killing him on the spot,' an elderly woman of Goo Kgano ward added. The neighbours revealed that the deceased’s body was found near an axe with bloodstains, and the backdoor had been broken. The neighbours suspect this was an attempt to stage the scene to look like a robbery.

'Everyone in the family had house keys. We do not understand why the backdoor was broken with an axe or why someone would disappear from home after an incident like this,' one of the neighbours said.

Neighbours reveal further that the younger son, who lives in a different town for work, attempted suicide upon hearing about his mother’s death. He has since been uploading suicidal messages on facebook.

The body was discovered by a relative who tried calling the mother on Thursday but received no answer. Concerned, she went to the house to check on her and immediately reported the matter to the police.

Several personal items were missing, including the mother’s personal documents, certificates for the ploughing field, and airtime cards, which were part of the stock she sold as a vendor. Her body was found in the sitting room gushing blood.

Confirming the incident to this publication, Kanye Police Station Commander Vincent Pitseetsile revealed that they are indeed investigating the discovery of a lifeless body at a house in Goo Kgano ward.

The younger brother to the accused continues to upload suicidal messages on Facebook.