Police arrested a Vereeniging priest on Friday for his alleged involvement in the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl last month.

Police spokesperson Captain Maria Mazibuko said the girl's body was found dumped in the backyard of her Evaton home on August 30 after she was found raped and strangled, allegedly by the priest, 36, and two other men who are still at large.

Investigations have revealed that the girl was taken to a nearby school where she was raped and murdered. The body was later dumped in the yard of her home, police said.

The priest will appear in the Sebokeng magistrate's court on charges of murder and abduction on Monday. - Sapa