As one man suspected of being involved in the killing of Siphiwe Selby Nhlapo appeared before court, police have begun the search for the man believed to have committed the murder.
This comes after the man on the run was arrested in September for the crime but allowed to walk free after his case was removed from the court roll.
Nhlapo was one of eight gay men found murdered in Gauteng over the past two years, a series of murders that a specialised provincial police task team have begun investigating.
Phumlani Msimango appeared before the Protea Magistrate’s Court on Monday, and was expected to be charged with Nhlapo’s murder. However, the charge was downgraded to housebreaking and robbery with aggravated circumstances.
However, according to relatives of the victim, the man the police are searching for, known to The Star only as Nhlanhla, was originally arrested for the crime in September and released after his case was removed from the roll.
Prosecutors had already informed Nhlapo’s family that further charges may be added to Msimango’s case, but police were unable to confirm if there was any link to the other murders.
The 24-year-old man was arrested in Orlando, Soweto, on Friday for the murder of Nhlapo, who was found strangled in Kliptown in September. - The Star