Pretoria - Police have arrested a 25-year-old woman for the alleged murder of two girls whose burnt bodies were discovered in an abandoned building in Atteridgeville.
The woman whom police believe to be the mother of the two siblings aged 5 and 8, was arrested at the Stadium Plaza shopping centre in Atteridgeville after the authorities were alerted to the bodies in a building in extension 7 on Friday.
Gauteng police commissioner, lieutenant-general Elias Mawela welcomed the swift unravelling of the alleged double murder, especially considering that the bodies were burnt beyond recognition at the time of discovery and there was little to no information on the circumstances surrounding their gruesome deaths.
Mawela said following the discovery a priority investigation unfolded owing to the fact that this was a brutal crime committed against minors and within about two days police had valuable information that assisted in determining that the deceased were siblings leading to the arrest.
It was also due to the investigations that he said it was deduced that the two children were in fact siblings with the woman confirmed as the children’s mother.
Mawela said following the arrest the woman appeared in the Atteridgeville magistrates court on Tuesday on a charge of murder.
The community of Atteridgeville was left reeling following the gruesome discovery with many being uncertain as to how the bodies came to be there.
However Johannes Ramaphakela one of the residents who alerted police to the scene and resides next door to the abandoned building said he was told to check things out by a taxi driver who informed him they had seen a person wearing dark clothing and covering their face going in and out of the building.
The case has been remanded to February 15 with the mother to remain in custody.
Pretoria News