A 28-year-old man has been tracked and arrested in Sunnyside, Tshwane, on charges of murder and kidnapping, after an incident in which he allegedly attacked and murdered a 63-year-old pensioner.
Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba, provincial police spokesperson in Limpopo said after killing the sexagenarian, the 28-year-old man allegedly burnt the body and buried the remains in his yard, at Motetema. The horrific incident happened during July 2022.
“He also stole the victim's truck and sold it,” said Mashaba.
“After an intensive, lengthy investigation, the suspect was arrested on Thursday, September 5 2024, at Sunnyside in Pretoria, Gauteng province.”
Further police investigations revealed that before the 28-year-old man was arrested, he had noticed that police were tracking him.
“He went to his residence in Motetema and exhumed the deceased's remains and apparently scattered them at his friend's yard. His friend who was allegedly not aware of the incident, informed the police after he discovered the human remains in his yard,” said Mashaba.
Meanwhile, provincial commissioner of police in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe has commended the investigating officers for their “meticulous handling of the case” and for the arrest.
The 28-year-old accused man is on Monday scheduled to appear before the Motetema Magistrate's Court facing charges of murder and kidnapping.
Police said the murdered man’s truck is not yet recovered and investigations are continuing.
Last month IOL reported that the High Court in Limpopo sentenced Kgomotso Pitsi Mmaphaka, 38, and Lethope Donald Tshehla, 33, from Tafelkop village to life imprisonment for murder, eight years imprisonment on the count of conspiracy to commit robbery, and 15 years imprisonment for robbery with aggravating circumstances.
At the time, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in Limpopo said Mmaphaka and Tshehla were also sentenced to five years imprisonment on the count of unlawful possession of a firearm and two years imprisonment on the count of unlawful possession of ammunition.
The court further ordered that the sentences for all offences should run concurrently with the sentence for murder, which means the two men were sentenced to an effective life behind bars.
NPA Limpopo regional spokesperson, Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi said the court heard that the deceased, Unitielo Tessema Gebreyesus was working as a shopkeeper in Tafelkop on April 13, 2022. The deceased and his colleague were closing the shop for the day, and as he was seated in his vehicle waiting for his colleague, two unknown males approached them at gunpoint.
“Each of the two assailants went for each of the victims, while his colleague struggled to free himself and escaped. The deceased person was shot and robbed of his vehicle, a Volkswagen Jetta, a Samsung cellphone, and an unknown amount of cash,” said Malabi-Dzhangi.
IOL