Three suspects will on Wednesday morning appear before the Kanyamazane Periodical Court after they were arrested in connection with the brutal murder of a Mpumalanga woman, Bonisiwe Mabuza.
Provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Donald Mdhuli said the three accused people are aged between 31 and 34.
“The court appearance comes after the body of Ms Bonisiwe Mabuza (37) was exhumed on Monday, July 1 2024 at Luphisa graveyard in Pienaar outside Nelspruit,” said Mdhluli.
Bonisiwe went missing on Tuesday last week, then her family reported the matter to police at Kanyamazane.
“On the night she was reported to have disappeared, her Volkswagen Polo was found abandoned in a secluded place in Pienaar. All wheels of her vehicle as well as a side mirror and a back seat were removed.
“Surprisingly, some of her household appliances, which include a television set and a fridge were missing from her house,” said Mdhluli.
The investigation into the murder case was assigned to the Mpumalanga serious and violent crimes unit based in Mbombela, and they worked in conjunction with detectives at Kanyamazane.
“The Mpumalanga serious and violent crimes unit has just been resuscitated recently by the deputy provincial commissioner for detection, Major General Botsotso Moukangwe, who is a former commander of the unit, from its inception until it was disbanded,” said Mdhluli.
“The unit focuses on the investigation of taxi violence, farm murders and other serious crimes such as murder and robbery. The unit is based in all three districts hence one is in Nelspruit (Mbombela) and another is in Middelburg, then the third one is in Secunda. The unit is composed of two subcategories - the taxi violence unit as well as murder and robbery unit.”
Over the past weekend, the specialized team intensified their efforts in the investigation into the disappearance of Bonisiwe.
This led to two people being taken in for questioning, which led to the “breakthrough as well as the recovery of some of the items allegedly stolen” from Bonisiwe.
“The two were then detained as suspects while the third one handed himself over to the police on Monday. The three are facing a charge of murder, kidnapping, house robbery and more charges could be added against them as the investigation continues,” said Mdhluli.
Meanwhile, acting provincial commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi has expressed saluted the specialized team for the arrests.
“We are hopeful that justice will be served for the victim's family. We are also collaborating with the prosecutors,” he said.
IOL