Nelspruit teen charged with murder after grandfather shot and killed

A 16-year-old from Dullstrom, Nelspruit, has been arrested after a heated argument with his grandfather allegedly led to the 63-year-old’s murder. 

The pair allegedly had a disagreement on Sunday afternoon, enraging the boy to the extent that he retrieved a pallet gun from his grandfather’s room and shot him with it. 

“A member of the public notified police about the incident. Police and Paramedics quickly rushed to the scene where the old man was unfortunately declared dead by the medical personnel,” said SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Leonard Hlath. 

The man was allegedly shot in his upper body according to a preliminary investigation, and police responded to the scene after neighbours heard a ruckus.  It is not yet clear if the pellet gun wound is explicitly to blame for his death.

“The boy was released to the care of his mother as he’s still a minor,” said Hlathi.

“We then work with probation officers from the social work services to compile a report about the arrested minor then present such a report to the state prosecutor then a new court date is set.”

Hhlathi sad that the case has been handed over to the Director of Public Prosecution. 

The Provincial Commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Mondli Zuma, said that “the law must take its course”.

The teenager, who is charged with murder, will make his first court appearance in the coming days. 

What happens to teens in trouble with the law? 

According to the Social Crime Prevention Directorate, children are dealt with differently than offending adults. 

“Since 1 April 2010, children who committed crime are dealt with in terms of the Child Justice Act (CJA), instead of the normal criminal procedure which is used for adults,” it states. 

Children who are arrested have certain rights guaranteed to them in terms of the Child Justice Act. These include:

• The right to have their parents/guardians present – A child’s parents or legal guardians must be notified by the police of the arrest as soon as possible.
• The right to a speedy assessment – A child must be assessed by a probation officer, who is a trained social worker, within 48 hours of arrest. 
• Children under the age of 14 years cannot be detained in prison.
• Children 14 years and older should be detained in prisons as a last resort.