'All want to have a go at them'
2007-02-06 13:38
Polokwane - Police had to protect a woman and her teenaged son from a baying crowd when they appeared in the Nebo magistrate's court for murder.
The two are accused of shooting dead the boy's father in December last year.
Isaac Ranape, 38, was killed in Thaba Mphse near Polokwane.
His wife and son were arrested on Friday. They appeared briefly in court that day, and the case was postponed to Monday.
They were not asked to plead and were put into protective custody after the crowd demanded that they be released into their hands.
Captain Mamphaswa Seabi, Nebo police spokesperson, said the mother and son were also being kept away from other inmates for their safety.
"We are keeping them separately from the other prisoners because the man they killed was a prominent member of the community, and everyone wants to have a go at them", said Seabi.
He said the couple had been in the process of separating after a long and violent marriage, and Ranape was about to marry another woman.
Police have not yet determined the exact motive for his murder.
His 18-year-old son is believed to have shot him, while his wife is accused of lying to protect the boy.
The suspects are being kept in the Trauma Centre of the Nebo police station.