Four suspects in court for kidnapping and murder of alleged burglar

Four suspects accused of the kidnapping and murder of a man they believe had broken into their home will appear in court next week.

Clydon Maswanganyi (27), Velly Malatjie (50), Given Mhlongo (35) and Maria Maswanganyi (42) were arrested this week in the Ritavi policing area, Limpopo, on charges of kidnapping and murder.

They appeared before the Nkowankowa Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, when the matter was postponed to next week Thursday, 16 November, for further police investigations.

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Buried in a shallow grave

It is alleged the suspects kidnapped the 27-year-old man from his home in Lusaka village last Sunday evening, accusing him of breaking into their home and stealing their properties a few days earlier.

On Tuesday, police received leads about the involved suspects, and one of them was arrested. He then revealed the whereabouts of the victim and his accomplices.

“Police went to the said address and found the victim buried in a shallow grave in the bushes along R36 to Enable village. Emergency personnel were also summoned to the scene. He was identified by his family as Doctor Hlugwani (27).

“A female suspect was also linked to the case and arrested. More arrests are expected,” said police spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba.

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Nine arrested for kidnapping

Nine people, including a South African Police Services (Saps) officer, were arrested last month for their alleged involvement in an alleged kidnapping syndicate targeting Portuguese businessmen.

The group was alleged to have kidnapped a 53-year-old man outside his business premises in Bramley, Johannesburg. The man was rescued and reunited with his family.

ALSO READ: Nine suspects, including cop, arrested for running kidnapping syndicate targetting Portuguese businessmen

Additional reporting  Faizel Patel