Durban - Two men, accused of raping and murdering a Pietermaritzburg pensioner last week, made their first appearance in court on Friday.
Police said the two, Mfundo Cele and Kwanele Duncan Ndlela appeared in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrates Court and were remanded into custody until May 14 when they are expected to apply for bail.
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, Colonel Thembeka Mbele, said the men aged 27 and 24 face charges of murder, robbery and two counts of rape.
It is believed that men posing as SANDF soldiers approached the 75-year-old woman, informing her they were there to sanitise her home.
They then allegedly raped and strangled her to death.
The woman's body was found by her grandson.
Mbele said Provincial Organised Crime Unit detectives were assigned to investigate the case and bring the perpetrators to book.
"Ndlela was arrested at his home in KwaShange in Pietermaritzburg, while Cele was traced to the Point area in Durban," she said.
Mbele said the men have also been linked to the rape of a 20-year-old woman.
Mbele said the suspects will also be profiled to determine if they can be linked to other pending cases in the province.