A Ward councillor from Mpumalanga has been arrested on two counts of attempted murder after a confrontation linked to the tragic suicide of a 16-year-old girl.
According to information received, the incident began on 20 November 2025, when a Pienaar father confronted his daughter after noticing her distress. The teenager reportedly revealed that a boy from her school had been abusing her. The father then attempted to establish the boy’s identity by visiting the boy’s home, but he was not present at the time.
Later that day, the father discovered that his daughter had taken her own life. He cut her down from the rope she had used to hang herself and rushed her to a nearby clinic, where she was declared dead.
At around 19:30 the same day, while the father was grieving at home, members of his late wife’s family arrived and questioned why they had not been informed of the child’s passing. A heated argument followed, during which Ward 29 councillor from Pienaar, known to the family as a close friend, allegedly intervened. The councillor is accused of drawing a firearm and firing a shot, grazing both the father and a neighbour who tried to break up the fight.
Both victims were taken to hospital for treatment.
Two cases of attempted murder were opened at Pienaar SAPS the following day, leading to the councillor’s arrest.
Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Dr Zeph Mkhwanazi, welcomed the arrest and condemned the councillor’s actions, saying he should have helped defuse the situation instead of escalating it with violence.