One of three suspects behind murder, rape of 61-year old woman shot dead

Two of the three suspects behind a house robbery incident in Dobsonville, in which both a 21-year old woman and her 61-year old grandmother were raped, were arrested on Wednesday night, confirmed the South African Police Service (SAPS).

The police also confirmed that one suspect in the case was shot and killed during a house robbery this past weekend in Roodepoort.

The second suspect was arrested in Mpumalanga after SAPS Soweto West Trio Task Team’s investigations led them to the province.

The other suspect remains in custody after investigations revealed that he was one of the two men that were allegedly assaulted by community members over the weekend.

Gauteng SAPS commissioner Lieutenant General Elias Mawela welcomed the arrests of the suspects and commended the investigating team for its work.

Both suspects aged 50 and 43, will appear before the court in due course.

Background:

The three suspects allegedly gained access into the house in Dzana Street after breaking the burglar bars and entering through the sliding door in the early hours of Friday morning, 17 July 2020.

One suspect who was allegedly armed with a weapon raped the 21-year-old victim while the second suspect raped and severely assaulted the 61-year-old grandmother in a separate bedroom.

The grandmother, who was severely injured, was rushed to nearby Tshepo-Themba clinic in Soweto where she was declared dead on arrival.

A team of investigators, led by detectives from the specialised Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences Unit (FCS), were directed to look into the matter.

Gauteng Acting Provincial Commissioner Major General Ndlovu on Friday: “Those behind this horrendous act of gender-based violence deserve to spend the rest of their cowardice life behind bars. It is, for this reason, that police will leave no stone unturned in prioritising this investigation as we do with cases where women, children and vulnerable persons are victims. Ours will be to ensure that the suspects are found and through a prosecutorial-led investigation, ensure a successful conviction.”

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.