Early indications suggest that the woman was killed during a house robbery on Friday evening in Standerton.
In a tragic incident as Women’s Month is drawing to a close, a 21-year-old man was arrested in connection with the murder of a woman whose body was found in her vehicle.
He is scheduled to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 26 August.
The arrest occurred early on Saturday morning at a petrol station in Moreleta Park, in Pretoria.
The suspect was immediately arrested at the scene and now faces multiple charges, including murder, kidnapping, possession of unlicensed firearms, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, and possession of suspected stolen property.
Women’s body found in stolen vehicle
According to Gauteng provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo, the suspect was apprehended while driving the victim’s vehicle, a Range Rover, which had been stolen during a house robbery in Standerton, Mpumalanga, IOL reported.
The preliminary investigation indicates that the woman was killed during the robbery on Friday evening.
“The suspect/s allegedly ransacked the house before killing the victim and placing her [body] in her Range Rover and drove with it,” said Masondo.
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Discovery by tracker company leads to arrest
An official from a tracker company who was tracing the stolen vehicle, located it at the petrol station in Moreleta Park, in Pretoria.
Upon searching the vehicle and the suspect, the official discovered the body of the female victim inside.
“In the car suspected stolen items that include laptops cellphones, jewellery, and the deceased’s bank cards were also recovered,” Masondo said.
Additionally, police found two firearms and one replica firearm inside the car.
Masondo confirmed the details of the arrest and the ongoing investigation, emphasising that the suspect will face the full extent of the law.
Suspect arrested after human remains found in Limpopo pit toilet
In a separate incident, a 45-year-old man is being kept in custody after human remains were found in a pit toilet in Limpopo.
Although the motive and identity of the badly decomposed body were not yet verified, the man is set to face a murder charge in the Praktiseer Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
A whistleblower alerted the police about the crime, prompting an investigation that led authorities to excavate the chamber beneath the makeshift toilet.
“I call upon all sectors of society to remain calm and give the police space to unearth the motive behind this gruesome act,” said Limpopo police commissioner Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe.
“We will monitor the case very closely to ensure that the law takes its rightful course,” Hadebe added.
