Johannesburg - Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the murder of Hillary Gardee. The 28-year-old woman was the daughter of former EFF secretary-general Goodrich Gardee.
She was found murdered on Tuesday morning in a bush outside Mbombela by a group of workers after being reported missing a week ago.
The police said that the 39-year-old suspect was apprehended in Schoemansdal, Mpumalanga, on Friday, where he had been hiding.
Mpumalanga's provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Semakaleng Manamela announced the recent developments in the case on Saturday morning.
The SAPS said it is confident that they arrested the right suspect based on the mounting evidence against the unidentified male.
"Up to so far, we have managed to arrest one suspect in Schoemansdal, in Nkomazi within the 72-hours that we were given. We believe that we have the right suspect. We are looking forward to making more arrests as the investigation continues," read the statement released by Mpumalanga SAPS on Saturday morning.
The statement further stated that both Manamela and the divisional commissioner who led the investigation, Lieutenant General Senthumele, said their team worked effortlessly to ensure a breakthrough in the murder case of the young woman.
The suspect faces a charge of murder, and the statement stipulated that more charges may be brought against him as the investigations continue. The suspect is expected to appear in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
Police Minister Bheki Cele and the National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola have applauded the team for handling the investigation swiftly, skilfully, and professionally, given its magnitude.
"We want to thank the public for their overwhelming support and encouragement as we toiled since we began working on this case. We were never derailed, but our joy will be fulfilled when justice is served, and every person that had a hand in the murder of Hillary Gardee is brought to book," further read the statement.
Gardee was reported missing last week Friday after she failed to return home. At the time of her disappearance, the woman was in the company of a three-year-old girl whom she was planning to adopt. The child was later found that evening, unharmed.
Gardee's post-mortem revealed that she suffered a bullet wound to the head. There were also other signs of blunt force trauma on Gardee's head. She will be laid to rest today in Mbombela.