LIMPOPO – A 56-year-old man has been taken into custody in connection with the double murder of a well-known 37-year-old Zimbabwean businessman and his 27-year-old friend near Polokwane, marking a major breakthrough in the year-old case.
According to a spokesperson for the Limpopo Provincial Murder and Robbery Unit, the fatal sequence of events began on 17 August 2025. The two victims had traveled to the Dendron area to procure commercial stock, specifically liquor and live chickens. While returning along the R521 public road in the direction of Marowe village, they were allegedly intercepted and kidnapped by four unidentified men traveling in a white Toyota Avanza.
Shortly after the abduction, the victims’ bakkie, which was still fully loaded with the acquired stock, was discovered abandoned in the Ga-Semenya village of Moletjie, just outside Polokwane.
The following day, on 18 August 2025, a grim discovery was made when the bodies of both men were located on a gravel road adjacent to the R37 public road, falling under the jurisdiction of the Westenburg policing area. Both victims had sustained fatal gunshot wounds.
Initially, a double murder docket was registered at the Westenburg Police Station. Due to the complexity of the case, it was promptly escalated and transferred to the specialized Provincial Murder and Robbery Unit for advanced forensic and investigative work.
Following months of intensive and methodical police work, investigators successfully tracked the primary suspect to Diepkloof in the Gauteng Province, where he was peacefully arrested. Authorities have formally linked the 56-year-old man to two counts of murder.
The accused is scheduled to make his first appearance at the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 27 July 2026. The spokesperson confirmed that police investigations remain active as authorities continue to pursue the remaining suspects involved in the kidnapping.
