Ceiling murder in Balfour – suspect arrested in eMalahleni

Police arrested a man six months after the body of a woman was found in a house in Balfour.

Thabo Silas Tsotetsi (40) was arrested in eMalahleni on April 14. He appeared before Balfour Magistrate’s Court on Monday, April 17 and was refused bail.

He was remanded in custody and the matter was postponed to May 17 for further investigation.

Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, the provincial police spokesperson said an intense police investigation after the gruesome murder of a 34-year-old Nosipho Caroline Mthombeni whose severely decomposed body was found concealed in a ceiling led to the arrest in eMalahleni.

Mthombeni’s body was discovered after the mother of Tsotetsi’s child moved in with him a month earlier.

“The mother alleged that she kept on complaining about the bad odour in the house, but Tsotetsi made her believe that the odour comes from dead rats,” Mohlala said.

The woman’s concerns grew and on October 4 last year, she decided to report the matter to the police as she was uncomfortable.

“Upon thorough investigation in the house, police found a human body which was in severe decomposition stage in such a way that it was even difficult to determine its gender. Police finally had a lead due to the victim’s shoes as well as the nail polish,” Mohlala said. 

Tsotetsi, according to police disappeared three days before the discovery. He told the mother that he was going to pay his accounts but he never came back.

The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela welcomed the arrest and commended the investigation team for bringing the suspect to book.

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