Man arrested for murder of two Soshanguve girls and others

Gauteng police have arrested a 35-year-old man in connection with the murder of two girls, aged four and seven years, and two other people in Soshanguve.

The tragedy took place earlier this month when a group of men went on a rampage and opened fire on patrons at a shebeen at Changing Spot informal settlement.

The gunmen then burned a shack where the two girls were sleeping in.

Arrest

Police spokesperson Colonel Mavela Masondo said the suspect was arrested in Akasia on Sunday after the detectives traced him to the area.

“Police also recovered a vehicle that was allegedly used during the commission of the crime. More suspects might be arrested, pending further investigation.

“The arrested suspect is expected to appear in the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, facing four counts of murder and four counts of attempted murder,” Masondo said.  

Masondo at the time of the incident said preliminary investigations suggested that the gang was after the father of the two little girls, who was not home at the time.

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Ditebogo Phalane

The incident comes as the Soshanguve community is still reeling from the shooting of five-year-old Ditebogo Phalane.

Phalane was fatally shot outside his home in Soshanguve when suspects hijacked his father on 10 May. He was declared dead upon arrival at a nearby hospital.

Three suspects implicated in his murder were formally charged with his death last week.

Elia Maeko, Ali Sithole and Nido Gumbi appeared in the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court last Tuesday.

They are each facing charges of murder and robbery under aggravating circumstances.

Gumbi faces an additional charge of contravening the Immigration Act as he is in South Africa illegally.

Child abuse

Meanwhile, the Free State police have urged parents to take responsibility of protecting their children and reporting any form of abuse to local authorities.

This comes after a 25-year-old man from Tlholong, near Kestell, was arrested for the murder of his girlfriend’s son.

Paramedics at a local clinic reported to the police that a two-year-old boy was bruised all over his body.

According to Free State Police, the boyfriend noticed that the toddler soiled himself and allegedly assaulted the child with a stick, kicked him and placed him inside a basin filled with cold water.

Additiona reporting by Vhahangwele Nemakonde

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