NELSPRUIT – A 32-year-old man was detained, though still in hospital under police guard, awaiting questioning regarding the murder of his 17-year-old girlfriend and her grandmother (63) at Emadamini, near Ermelo on Monday, 05 September 2022.

The grandmother and granddaughter’s lifeless bodies were found in their house by family members after being contacted by the granddaughter’s employer, who was worried that she failed to show up for work on Monday, 05 September 2022.

On their arrival, family members enquired from neighbours, but no one had knowledge on their whereabouts as the doors were locked and nobody responded to their calls.

The granddaughter’s boyfriend is said to have been contacted to give family members the house keys but he reportedly denied any knowledge of the keys. When asked about the whereabouts of his girlfriend, he allegedly mentioned that his girlfriend was in hospital as she indicated that she was not feeling well.

On the said Monday at about 18:00, family members grew concerned and resorted to breaking the house window to investigate. They were reportedly met with two lifeless bodies covered with blankets, both had head injuries and bruises all over.

The report further indicates that community members started a manhunt for the boyfriend with the hope that he will give some indication of what might have happened. The man was tracked down this morning, Tuesday 06 September 2022 and handed over to the police at about 02:00. He sustained some injuries and community members alleged that he stabbed himself with a knife. Police then apprehended him for questioning, hence placed under police guard in hospital so that he could give clarity and information that may assist in the investigation.

The Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela has vehemently condemned such a gruesome murder of the two females. “We continue to experience senseless killings of the vulnerable groups and in this instance, it is a female senior citizen as well as a female minor. This is a matter of concern however police will work hard to get to the bottom of this where any person who is behind their murder will have to face the full might of the law. A team of investigators has been assembled to investigate and we hope that they will make a breakthrough soon” said Lieutenant General Manamela.

Source: South African Police Service