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Cops arrest suspects in Soweto woman's rape and murder

Tankiso Makhetha Investigative reporter
The police have made arrests in the rape and murder of a 61-year-old woman
Arrest The police have made arrests in the rape and murder of a 61-year-old woman
Image: 123RF/ scanrail

Gauteng police have arrested two suspects in connection with the rape and murder of a 61-year-old woman and her daughter in Soweto. Police spokesperson Brig Mathapelo Peters said the suspects aged between 43 and 50 are expected to appear in court soon.

She said investigators were led to Mpumalanga where they arrested one of the suspects on Wednesday evening.

“Police have determined and confirmed that the second suspect in the case was shot and killed during a house robbery this past weekend in Roodepoort. Further investigations have since linked a third suspect who is one of two men that were allegedly assaulted by community members over the weekend. This third suspect has now been arrested and is in police custody,” Peters said.

Previously, the son of the deceased woman described the actions of those behind his mother’s murder and rape as animals. The 61-year-old woman, who cannot be named to protect the identity of her daughter who was also raped during the attack in their Dobsonville home on Friday last week, was pronounced dead upon arriving at a nearby hospital.

“Those guys are animals. They used a bottle to stab her between her legs, and all over the body while assaulting her badly. They also stabbed my sister with a bottle,” the son said.

He said the thugs entered the house through a sliding door while his mother and sister were asleep at around midnight. “They got in and shifted the TV and the stand before they gathered everything up and placed it in the kitchen. They then went to the bedrooms and took phones, money and everything valuable and placed them in the kitchen,” he said.

He said before they left, they decided to rape his mother and sister. “They placed a bottle between her legs and stabbed her. After doing the same thing to my sister she screamed and that woke up our brother who occupies a room outside. He came out and saw these guys who then ran out, jumped the wall and fled,” he said.

He said the thugs left behind all the valuables they had gathered and put in the kitchen. They made off with only a laptop. He said his sister was home and had undergone trauma counselling after the incident.

“She has been home since returning from the hospital. It's obviously a difficult period for her because this is a double tragedy. We spoke briefly but she will have to undergo a lot of counselling to be able to get over this incident,” he said.

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