A suspect has turned himself in to police in connection with the brutal murder of an elderly woman at an old age home in Emalahleni (formerly Witbank), Mpumalanga police said on Thursday.

The man had reportedly handed himself over to Mondeor police in the south of Johannesburg but was transferred to Witbank where he is due to appear in the Witbank magistrate’s court on Friday.

Brig Leonard Hlathi said the man turned himself in after police launched a manhunt for him following the murder of the elderly woman on Sunday.

She was stabbed multiple times and was believed to have been held hostage before her murder. She was also robbed of some of her belongings.

“The investigation revealed that her vehicle, a white Honda Jazz, and her  belongings were stolen during the incident and fortunately the vehicle became a positive catalyst for the investigation as it was later recovered after being abandoned in Krugersdorp on Monday,” said Hlathi.

After finding the car, the investigators assumed the suspect was in Gauteng, said Hlathi. “This prompted them to intensify their search and while busy following up on positive leads on his whereabouts, their counterparts at Mondeor station informed them that the suspect had handed himself over,” he added.

Police did not say whether the suspect was known to the deceased or what the motive for the murder could have been.

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