Orgy of rape, murder over
2003-08-01 22:01
Pietermaritzburg - An intense police manhunt appears to have ended an orgy of rape and murder with the arrest of two men, aged 19 and 22, believed to be responsible for killing six people, all at the weekend, including two schoolgirls whose bodies were found at Dales Park early on Monday morning.
Thus far detectives have linked the two men not only to Sunday night's abduction and murder, execution style, of Siphesihle "Londeka" Khumalo and Hlengiwe Mchunu, both aged 17, but also Leonard Shabalala from Harrismith and his friend Thobile Ndlovu from Hammarsdale, as well as Sandile Dladla (18) and Sikhondla Amock (25) from Caluza.
Although a third suspect is still at large, an imminent arrest is expected.
It appears that the link that led to the breakthrough in the investigation was a white 3 series BMW hijacked from Tshabalala, a teacher from Harrismith, who was visiting Hammarsdale at the weekend.
Tshabalala was shot and left lying on the road in the Mpumalanga township (KZN) on Saturday night. He was rushed to hospital where he later died.
Then early on Sunday morning, approximately nine kilometres from where the BMW was hijacked, police found the body of a woman, subsequently identified as Ndlovu.
It is believed Ndlovu had been travelling with Tshabalala. After allegedly being raped, she was shot in the head, and her body dumped on a district road D246 in the Cato Ridge area.
According Inspector Derek Coetsee, who led the investigations,
the suspects were seen on Sunday evening with the BMW in the Moscow area, near Caluza in Edendale.
"A 14-year-old-old girl had gone to the shop to buy tomatoes and cigarettes. On her way back she met her ex-boyfriend Sandile Dladla (18) when the suspects approached them and confronted Dladla." said Coetsee.
"He was shot and killed in front of the girl who ran into a nearby house. When Sikhondla Amock (25) ran out to see what was happening, he too was shot and killed."
The suspects then allegedly took the girl to Mpumuza, about two kilometres away, raped her and left her there.
An hour later they came back to the same area and went to a telephone kiosk, a stone's throw away from where Dladla and Amock had been murdered.
At this point Londeka Khumalo, who was five months pregnant, and Hlengiwe Mchunu, a mother of a nine-month-old baby, were abducted.
"They were robbed at gunpoint and then forced into the BMW and driven to Dales Park in Mayor's Walk where they were both raped and then shot in the head," said Coetsee.
"Initially we thought they had not been sexually assaulted, as they had all their clothes on. But now we've got evidence that they were raped and then forced to put their clothes back on," said Coetsee.
On Monday the stolen BMW was found in Pine Street, about 100m away. After links between the murders had been made, police received information eventually leading them to Slangspruit where the two of the suspects were arrested, and two 9mm pistols, believed to be the murder weapons recovered.
Coetsee confirmed that he expected to make another arrest soon.
"Then we will only need another another month to wrap up the investigations before we will be ready for trial."
"And if it's given priority by the courts, the case could be on as early as October or November," said Coetsee.