A 37-year-old man appeared in the Bethal Magistrate's Court on Wednesday on charges of raping and murdering a 13-year-old girl, who went missing from her home in Emzinoni on Sunday.

The man was taken in for questioning on Monday, after the girl disappeared from Malema Section.

She had been sent to a nearby shop by a neighbour, but did not return. Her parents and community members conducted a search, but failed to locate her.

Her body was discovered by a passer-by close to her home early on Monday.

Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brig Leonard Hlathi said on Wednesday that the suspect was remanded in custody for a formal bail application and would appear in court again on September 17.