Riot Hlatshwayo

Riot Hlatshwayo

A local businessman who allegedly shot a woman dead on March 15 just because she had responded to his greetings has finally been granted bail in a Mpumalanga magistrate's court.

Noah Mohaule, 38, was yesterday granted R1000 bail and the matter was postponed to October 27 for further investigations.

He was arrested about a week ago after a top investigator from the provincial police organised crime unit made a breakthrough in the investigations.

This was after investigators at the controversial Calcutta police station failed to make an arrest until the victim's family approached safety and security MEC Siphosezwe Masango, who asked the provincial police's organised crime unit to intervene.

Pretty Ndlovu, 32, was with her nephew outside her house in Tekamahala Trust near Bushbuckridge when Mohaule allegedly approached them on March 15.

Organised crime unit spokesman Captain Leonard Hlathi said the man greeted the two and when Ndlovu responded politely the businessman became aggressive.

"The businessman challenged the woman as to why she had responded to his greetings the way she did and produced a gun and shot her twice in her upper body," Hlathi said yesterday.

"She was taken to Matikwane Hospital in Mkhuhlu but died two days later."

He confirmed that the matter was initially being investigated by the police at the Calcutta station but Ndlovu's family asked Masango to intervene.