A 62-year-old pensioner appeared in the Bloemhof Magistrates Court for the alleged poisoning of his son and his wife’s two teenage relatives to claim insurance payouts.
Zimoja reported that the accused, Daniel Mokwai, allegedly poisoned the three victims with pies laced with poison over a span of three years, with each death initially considered to be due to natural causes.
Pensioner In Trouble For Poisoning Son And Wife’s Relatives For Insurance Payout
Mokwai is accused of killing his 16-year-old and 17-year-old relatives, as well as his 31-year-old son, by giving them poisoned pies. After each death, Mokwai allegedly claimed insurance money from policies taken out on the victims.
Suspicion arose when some family members noticed a pattern and reported him to the police, questioning why Mokwai had bought pies for all three deceased.
Police spokesperson Colonel Adele Myburgh confirmed that the bodies of all three victims were exhumed, and pathology reports revealed they had been poisoned, prompting the murder investigation. Police arrested Mokwai on Monday, 26 August.
“The first incident happened on Saturday, 5 December 2020, where a 16-year-old boy died at midday between Phuduhudu and Gopane, close to Bloemhof. The boy was the accused’s wife’s relative.
“The second deceased was the accused’s wife’s 17-year-old relative who died on Wednesday night, 1 December 2021, in Boitumelong Township, outside of Bloemhof. The last victim, Mothibi Alpheos Mokwai (31), was the accused’s son. He died on Sunday, 9 October 2022, at his house in Mathyse Street in Bloemhof,” said Myburgh.
Mokwai was remanded in custody and is expected to make his next court appearance on Wednesday, 4 September 2024, to secure legal representation.
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Suspects in Magobading Headman’s Murder to Appear in Court
In a separate case, two men are expected to appear before the Tubatse Magistrates Court this morning in connection with the murder of Headman Setlamorago Thobejane in Magobading village. Thobejane, 60, was shot and killed on 7 August while walking to work with his daughter.
The suspects, aged 25 and 40, allegedly approached Thobejane and his daughter in a car without registration plates before opening fire and fatally wounding him. The suspects fled the scene, and Thobejane was rushed to the nearest hospital, where he later died from his injuries.