Thorough and relentless pursuit for an outstanding suspect in the murder of Anne Ferreira (83) two years later paid off when the investigating officer from the Mount Road Cluster Detective Trio Task Team made a breakthrough on Friday, 5 June 2020.
Ferreira was found strangled and murdered in her Summerstrand home in May 2018. Her car was found abandoned near Despatch. A case of murder, robbery, rape and kidnapping was opened.
The first suspect, Sizwe Jika (28) was arrested in September 2018 and was positively linked through DNA to the murder. He remains in custody and is expected to appear in court in July 2020. On 3 June 2020, Jika was sentenced to an effective 20 years in prison for the murder of Ann Smit (86). He is also currently serving a 16 year sentence for housebreaking committed between 2011 and 2018.
On Friday, 5 June 2020, D/Const Ridwaan Baatjies followed up on months of trailing the second suspect and a 39-year-old was arrested at his aunt’s house in Zwide. He was detained on charges of murder, robbery, rape and kidnapping. He will appear in the Port Elizabeth magistrates’ court on Monday, 8 June 2020.
The Provincial Commissioner, Lt Gen Liziwe Ntshinga has applauded the thorough investigations by the Mount Road Cluster Trio Detective Task Team in ensuring yet another success against the murder of this elderly woman. ‘Our investigators will be working very closely with the National Prosecuting Authority to ensure that these cold hearted and ruthless criminals deserves the punishment for their heinous crimes. The scourge of violence against these vulnerable groups cannot and will not be tolerated. The investigation team have been working assiduously on these cases to ensure a water-tight case against them,’ added Lt Gen Ntshinga.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
