POLOKWANE – A recent breakthrough was made in the double murder case of popular actress Amanda Manku’s mother, aged 45, and grandmother, aged 70, on January 9, after two years of the police searching for the remaining suspects responsible for the tragedy which took place in May 2021.
Manku plays the part of a young Turfloop based medical doctor, Elizabeth Thobakgale on SABC 1’s prime time Sepedi soap opera, Skeem Saam.
The two women were shot dead in Makgophong in the Capricorn district in 2021. A suspect, aged 40, was arrested at the Lebombo border post crossing into Mozambique, and found in possession of a South African passport with questionable citizenship, which will be subjected to an investigation by the Department of Home Affairs, a source in the police service said.
Two weeks ago, two police officers believed to be linked to the crime and alleged to be romantically involved, were arrested.
“A 53-year-old police captain at the Sandringham Visible Policing Unit was arrested at his place of work and a 42-year-old attached to the Linden Visible Policing Unit was arrested at her house in Lenasia South,” the source added.
During the arrests, the team confiscated a 9mm pistol which will be sent for ballistic tests, a vehicle said to have been used in the crime, and a phone that reportedly belonged to one of the deceased women.
The duo appeared in the Magatle Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday facing charges of conspiracy to commit murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, attempted murder, two counts of murder and defeating the ends of justice.
In a public statement, the family confirmed the latest arrests and expressed faith in the police service and judicial system. Manku has been candid about her journey of grief throughout.
Posting on her social media timeline, she said she was struggling to come to terms with the deaths of her mom and grandmother.
“One thing my mother told me is to stop posting my problems, but now it’s hard. I want to vent. I want to understand. How can I lose my mother and grandmother at the same time? Who will I go to for comfort? For advice?” she asked.
