Pretoria - A 25-year-old man has been arrested in Mpumalanga for allegedly killing a 20-year-old woman who was the mother of his child.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said the body of the slain woman was found on Thursday near a secondary school.
“According to the report, police were conducting their normal duties when a group of learners notified them of something sinister next to the nearby bushes. The members then went to the place next to Chayaza Secondary School where they made the gruesome discovery of a lifeless body of a woman upon their arrival,” said Mohlala.
“The clothes that the woman was wearing were covered in blood. The medical personnel also arrived at the scene where she was unfortunately certified dead.”
Mohlala said a murder case was opened as the preliminary police probe suggested foul play in the woman’s demise.
“Police went further with their investigation where a manhunt was launched for the suspect(s). The probe led members to the father of her two-year-old daughter,” said Mohlala. During the man’s arrest, police found an item believed to belong to the slain woman.
“Police also found some clothes with blood stains at the place where they arrested the suspect. The investigators also seized an item which they are convinced might be the weapon that was used in the murder,” said Mohlala.
“All confiscated items will form part of the investigation. The suspect is expected to appear at the Mkhuhlu magistrate's court on Monday, 14 February 2022 on a charge of murder.”
Mpumalanga commissioner of police Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela has welcomed the arrest of the 25-year-old man.
She also raised concern over the high number of women being murdered or abused by their intimate partners in the province “even during a month [February] in which people were supposed to show affection to one another”.
"It is very sad when mothers are brutally murdered, leaving behind their little ones. This is enough and it must immediately come to an end. We hope that justice will be served in this case,” Manamela added.
IOL