Potchefstroom - Police in Potchefstroom have arrested a 28-year-old suspect in connection with the murder and attempted murder of an elderly couple in the town, the South African Police Service (SAPS) in the North West said on Sunday.
"The suspect's arrest follows an incident in which an elderly couple, aged 66 and 69, were attacked inside their premises in Potchefstroom," Sergeant Kelebogile Moleko said.
According to information received, reports suggested that three men broke into the couple's house in the early hours of Friday morning. They ransacked the house and assaulted the couple with unknown blunt instruments. The suspects then fled the scene with the couple's Isuzu bakkie, Moleko said.
The incident was reported to police, who reacted swiftly and found a 69-year-old man dead while his wife, 66, was critically injured. A search was launched for the suspects. During the search, information was received that the victims' bakkie had overturned on the Mooibank Road between Potchefstroom and Orkney. The police managed to arrest one suspect, who was injured, at the accident scene.
The investigation into the matter was continuing and the arrested suspect was expected to appear in the Potchefstroom Magistrate's Court on Monday, Moleko said.