Investigations are continuing to positively identify the two victims. Police officers on patrol discovered the victims’ bodies lying in a pool of blood on a street in Namibia Square at around 01:50 on Sunday morning (8/2). 

Both had sustained fatal gunshot wounds to the back of their heads and were declared dead on the scene.

Suspects arrested for the murder of two women killed in Nambia, Bloemfontein. Photo: SAPS

“An intelligence-led investigation was immediately launched. At around 13:30, members of the provincial tracking and tracing team, in collaboration with the Parkweg tactical response team, acted on crucial information from the community regarding the suspects’ whereabouts,” said Free State police spokesperson Sgt Mahlomola Kareli.

“The team intercepted a white Toyota Quantum with four occupants. In a striking turn of events, the vehicle was tactically stopped on the very same street where the murders had occurred earlier that day.”

Upon searching the vehicle and its occupants, police recovered one unlicensed 9mm pistol with six rounds of live ammunition. Five suspects, all foreign nationals, were taken into custody, added Kareli.

Free State Premier MaQueen Letosha-Mathae speaking to residents of Nambia after the murder of two females. Photo: Facebook

They face multiple charges, including two counts of murder, possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, as well as contravention of the Immigration Act.

Police are investigating another murder. On Saturday, the body of an unidentified woman, believed to be in her mid-thirties, was discovered along Meadows Road in Bloemspruitin the vicinity of the Bram Fisher International Airport.

Free State Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae, accompanied by deputy provincial commissioner of policing Maj. Gen. Solly Lesia visited the Namibia Square crime scene on Sunday. The two women were allegedly shot and killed while returning home from a local tavern.

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Addressing community members, Letsoha-Mathae described the killings as senseless and inhumane, expressing deep concern over the continued violence against women.

“These killings are a painful reminder that the fight against gender-based violence and femicide remains far from over. 

“Despite intensified awareness campaigns and strengthened interventions, women continue to lose their lives in the most brutal manner. This cannot be normalised.”

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She urged communities to work closely with law enforcement by reporting criminal activities, sharing information, and actively participating in community policing forums.

“Police alone cannot defeat crime,” the premier emphasised. 

“Community safety is a shared responsibility. When communities and the police work together in mutual trust and cooperation, criminals are denied the space to operate.”

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OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi