Cape Town - Grassy Park police are on the hunt for a Malawian man who allegedly bashed his landlord’s boyfriend to death in a heated argument over electricity and went on the run.
Police spokesperson Wynita Kleinsmith said officers have been searching for months and believe Tocha Engo Mbwala may have fled to another province after allegedly killing Faiyaaz Maidene, 21.
She said the case dates to September 20 when cops were called to a local day hospital where the two had presented with serious injuries.
“The suspect was a tenant at the home of the victim’s girlfriend in the Phumlani Informal Settlement.
“He rented one of the shacks in the backyard and the argument allegedly stemmed over electricity.
“According to the information presented to us, the suspect had bought R10 prepaid electricity the week before and it was not enough.
“When he returned the following week with another R10 prepaid electricity voucher an argument broke out between him and the deceased. The deceased allegedly hit him with a hammer on his back and he retaliated by bashing him with a brick.”
Kleinsmith says both men were being treated at the day hospital when it was revealed that Maidene had died while receiving medical care.
“The cause of death is not yet clear as we are waiting on the post-mortem to reveal all the injuries he sustained and what led to his death, but for now a murder case has been opened and we are searching for Tocha Engo Mbwala who disappeared after he was discharged.”
She said during the investigation they found that there were no records of the suspect entering the country.
“We checked and he is not even registered on any system and there is no passport for him so it appears he is an illegal immigrant. We have cause to believe that he could also have run away to the Eastern Cape as he had an old girlfriend there.”
Anyone who has seen the suspect is asked to call Sergeant Goldsmith on 082 770 1992.