Man arrested in Mpumalanga after filmed assault on grandmother

Mbombela (South Africa), 8 June 2026 – Police in the northeastern Mpumalanga province have arrested a man suspected of violently assaulting his grandmother in the Nkomazi municipality. The arrest, carried out on Sunday, 7 June 2026, came after a video documenting the entire attack was widely shared on social media.

The incident took place at a tavern in eMagogeni. The footage shows the suspect repeatedly punching and kicking the victim, and then striking her with a beer crate. Throughout the attack, a third person can be heard laughing, while the elderly woman, seriously injured, lies on the ground unable to defend herself.

Pension dispute behind the assault in Mpumalanga

Initial information from the investigation indicates the altercation stemmed from a financial disagreement. The elderly woman had gone to the tavern to demand explanations from her grandson after noticing that her pension money – intended for buying food and paying electricity – had gone missing. It was at that point the suspect turned on her.

Following the widespread circulation of the video, alongside local police efforts, the suspect was quickly identified and tracked down. He has been placed in provisional custody and will soon appear before a provincial court to face charges of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and common assault.