Police in Limpopo on Monday thanked VhaVenda King Toni Mphephu-Ramabulana for his efforts to help end violent protest on the part of the community of Tshituni over the murder of a teenager as they arrested two suspects for the crime.
Residents of Mawoni, Tshituni went on rampage after a girl in her mid teens was was found killed and dumped in the bush with bullet wounds to the head.
Her body was found in bushes on the banks of a river on Saturday August 8.
“The body had one gunshot wound at the back and no one knew what happened. The community blockaded the road and extra police were deployed to ease the situation,” Lieutenant Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe said on Monday.
On Wednesday a special task team composed of Crime Intelligence and local detectives was established to assist with the investigation.
“A breakthrough came on Thursday August 11 when two suspects aged around 20 were taken in for questioning and eventually linked to the murder case and one firearm believed to be the murder weapon was recovered,” said Ngoepe.
Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant General Nneke Ledwaba said he appreciated the intervention of Ramabulana for his role in calming the volatile situation after the murder.
Ledwaba stressed that through a partnership between police and the community crime in the area could be brought under control and thanked residents who came forward with information that led to the arrests.
Twenty men and nine women, aged between 19 and 40 years old, were arrested in connection with the blocking of roads and would still appear before the Dzanani Magistrate’s Court on charges of public violence.
Police believed that the investigation would link the murder suspect with more cases in the area.
The two suspects were expected to appear before Dzanani Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
