Grenade thrower expected to appear court

A 44-year-old man was expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Thursday for allegedly killing his wife in their Amanzimtoti home with a hand grenade after a domestic argument, KwaZulu-Natal police said.

Major Thulani Zwane said that the man, a former Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) member and a former Colonel in the SA Air Force, handed himself over to Amanzimtoti police on Wednesday.

“The former Air Force Colonel and a former MK who allegedly blew up his wife with a hand grenade has been arrested,” said Zwane.

“A 44-year-old man will appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court today [Thursday] facing murder, attempted murder and possession of explosives charges.”

On Tuesday, Zwane said the man, who cannot be identified until he is charged, is alleged to have thrown an M26 into the kitchen of their Amanzimtoti home on Saturday night.

The woman, identified as Lesego Mahaose, succumbed to her wounds at about 2am after being rushed to Kingsway Hospital.

Mahaose was a member of the SA Air Force and was based at the military base on the Bluff in Durban.

SA National Defence Force spokesman Brigadier Xolani Mabanga said on Tuesday, that the SANDF were not conducting an investigation into how the man secured the two M26 hand grenades.

He said that once the police investigation had been completed and it had been confirmed that the grenades were indeed SANDF issue, it would then institute its own investigations.

“If the grenades are identified to be things that should be the inventory of the SANDF, then the SANDF will definitely investigate how did the member get in possession of those,” he said.

He said that ordinarily members of the SANDF were not allowed to bring ammunition or weapons home.

Police initially said the man was a SANDF member.