A 40-year-old man, who is a foreign national, was arrested by police in Limpopo shortly after an elderly woman was found hacked to death at her residence at Mahwelereng on Sunday.
The alleged killer, who resides within the vicinity of the slain woman’s home, is expected to appear before the Mahwelereng Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, facing a charge of murder.
According to initial police reports, a concerned neighbour was alerted by the commotion and rushed to the house to assist.
Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba, provincial police spokesperson in Limpopo said the concerned neighbour found the victim lying outside the house, tied with a rope and with multiple stab wounds.
The disturbed neighbour immediately contacted the police and emergency services.
“Upon their arrival, paramedics certified the 74-year-old victim dead at the scene. The local detectives acted swiftly, identifying and apprehending the suspect shortly after the attack,” said Mashaba.
Mashaba said further investigations are ongoing to uncover the circumstances surrounding the “tragic” event.
Meanwhile, provincial police commissioner in Limpopo, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe had expressed shock and outrage over the “senseless” incident.
Hadebe saluted police officers and other role players who ensured the prompt arrest of the suspect.
On Sunday, IOL reported that police at Gilead, in Limpopo’s Waterberg District, had launched an extensive manhunt for suspects responsible for a murder and arson incident which occurred on Thursday night.
According to the police report, a 92-year-old woman, the victim, was asleep in an eight-room house when unknown suspects entered the premises at Ga-Choke, Sterkwater village.
The assailants brutally murdered the elderly woman.
“The victim was later discovered by the police inside the bathroom, tightened with a cloth. Following the brutal attack, the unknown suspects set the house on fire and fled the scene,” according to Colonel Malesela Ledwaba.
IOL