Man axes nephew over missing chickens

60-year-old Nomasonto Radebe from Moseleki section in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni, SA, got into a vicious argument with her brother over her missing chickens.

When Nomasonto opened the fridge door and saw that two chickens were missing, she asked her brother.

"My brother and I live in the house," Nomasonto said. "When I asked him what had happened to the chickens, he became very angry and we had a terrible argument."

The argument was so loud that Nomasonto's son Bongane (25), who lives in an outside room, came running into the house to see what was happening.

A family member told Bongane to wait outside and the young man left the house.

But after a few minutes, the enraged man came out of the house and hacked Bongane on the head with an axe.

Now Bongane is in hospital and the uncle is now behind bars.

"My son is in hospital because of him and he doesn't even say sorry," Nomasonto said.

She said the man also threatened her with the axe.

"The residents intervened and wanted to beat him but I begged them to leave the matter to the police," Nomasonto said.

She described him as a wild animal.

Nomasonto said he had assaulted her children before.

"He assaulted my late son with a sjambok when he was only six. My son never spoke to him until he died at 30," she said.

Captain Mega Ndobe said a 54-year-old man was arrested and charged with ­assault with intention to cause grievous bodily harm.

He appeared at the Palm Ridge Magistrates Court on Friday and was not asked to plead.

He is expected to appear in court again this week.