Second suspect in missing Welkom woman’s murder case to appear in court

The second suspect, possibly linked to the murder and disappearance of 30-year-old Disebo Portia Mosupa, was arrested on Sunday and expected to appear in court on Tuesday.

Mosupa, the acting youth development officer at the Matjhabeng Local Municipality in Free State, was reported missing at the Welkom police station on 15 July.

Mosupa was last seen on 12 July

The ANC in Free State had urged community members to help find her after she was last seen on 12 July. Her father had visited her home on 14 July, but she was not there, and all the doors were locked.

“The following day, the father went back to the house and found the doors open and the house ransacked. She was nowhere to be found,” said Captain Stephen Thakeng.

Following her disappearance, a team comprising of police investigators, community members, and Mosupa’s distraught family embarked on a thorough search, which led to a body being found at Thabong Cemeteries in Welkom.

ALSO READ: Community urged to help find missing Welkom woman

Mosupa’s body buried in used grave

Her body, which was buried in a used grave, was exhumed on 19 July by forensic investigators.

Following the discovery of Mosupa’s body, the ANC in Free State said they were deeply saddened by her passing, reportedly at the hands of her boyfriend and his accomplice.

“May her revolutionary soul rest,” the organisation said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Brigadier Motantsi Makhele said one suspect, aged 37, was arrested for murder, and investigations continued for information that could lead to more arrests.

The ANCYL in Free State also conveyed their condolences to the family on Saturday and called for justice.

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“We are sick and tired of how our sisters are taken in this country, and nothing is done. The president has given us a new minister, who we think is flexible, and we hope you get your team in order and get to this perpetrator as soon as possible,” said ANCYL second secretary general Olga Seate outside the Mosupa family home.

Second suspect arrested on Sunday

Moreover, the Free State police urged anyone with information to contact them, and after their plea, Makhele said community members played their part and it yielded results.

On Sunday, at around 6 pm, intelligence led the Tactical Response Team and Mangaung detectives to a house in Phase 4 Bloemfontein, where the 42-year-old suspect was found and arrested.

The first suspect appeared at the Welkom Magistrate Court on Monday, while the second suspect made his first appearance on Tuesday. The ANCYL picketed outside the court on both days.

“We would like to thank our community for providing the necessary information that made it possible for the police to trace this second suspect,” said the Provincial Commissioner, Lt Gen Baile Motswenyane.

Mosupa’s memorial service will take place at midday on Wednesday at the Ferdi Meyer Hall in Welkom, and her funeral will take place on Saturday morning at the same venue.

Memorial & Funeral Service details of the late Cde Disebo Portia Mosupa.

May your revolutionary soul rest in eternal peace. pic.twitter.com/PO4AJgC7C1

— ANC Free State (@ANCFS) July 22, 2024