Police arrest man for murder of Bhekulwandle teenager
A detective from the uMlazi Police Station traced the suspect to the Jacobs area where he was arrested.
POLICE have arrested a 34-year-old man for the murder of a 17-year-old girl whom he allegedly raped and stabbed to death at her home in Bhekulwandle, just outside of Amanzimtoti.
According to a statement by the Umlazi Police Station, on February 26, at about 10:30, the girl was home alone when the suspect, believed to be a neighbour, broke into the house.
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The suspect allegedly stabbed the victim multiple times after he raped her. He was seen fleeing the scene on foot.
After five days of trying to trace the suspect, he was finally spotted in the Jacobs area on March 1, at about 16:15.
“Detective Sergeant Phumlani Mchunu from the uMlazi Police Station responded to information about the suspect’s whereabouts. Mchunu, who is also a neighbour to the deceased, said the case caught his attention, and he immediately placed himself on duty in the aim to find the suspect.”
Mchunu proceeded to Jacobs, but when he got there, the suspect was nowhere to be found. On March 2, at about 05:00, he proceeded to the same location where the suspect had been last spotted. It had been said that the suspect usually roams around that area.
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The information supplied proved to be positive, and the suspect was arrested by Mchunu, who took him to the uMlazi Police Station.
On the day of the incident, Amanzimtoti Police Station’s communications officer, Captain Charlene van der Spuy, said a passerby alerted a local security company about a stationary white VW Polo on the corner of Kingsway and Oceanview roads in Athlone Park. Both left tyres were damaged.
“The vehicle was occupied by two men, and the body of a 17-year-old female was found on the floor of the backseat, fully wrapped in a blanket. The body was naked with several stab wounds,” she said.
Van der Spuy said the one man, who identified himself as the girl’s father, stated that they were rushing her to the hospital when they hit the pavement.
The suspect was detained at the uMlazi Police Station, and a case was opened at the KwaMakhutha Police Station.
He made his first appearance at the Umbumbulu Magistrate’s Court on March 4. He will appear again on April 4 for his bail hearing.
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