The discovery in the Kloofeind area was made on Monday (9/2) after an investigation by provincial crime intelligence. The deceased had been identified as the 34-year-old’s girlfriend.

The suspect initially reported the 27-year-old missing on Saturday, 17 January. However, a formal missing person file was only registered at the Parkweg police station on 30 January.

The suspect will appear in Bloemfontein Magistrate court on Wednesday (11/2). Photo: Saps

At the time of the initial report, the suspect said the victim had left the farm to visit a relative in Pieter Swarts, Bloemspruit, said Lt. Col. Thabo Covane.

Police later determined this statement was false. The investigation shifted after intelligence suggested the suspect had visited a sangoma, leading police to the specific farm location along the N8 national road.

“A case docket of murder and defeating the ends of justice was opened at Parkweg police station,” said Covane.

Location of burial site

Crime scene experts arrived at the homestead between Bloemfontein and Petrusberg at around 10:00. During the operation, the suspect pointed out the location of the burial site to the officers. 

The team then exhumed the decomposed remains of the victim from the identified shallow grave. The suspect was arrested at the scene immediately following the exhumation. 

He currently faces charges of alleged murder and defeating the ends of justice, and remains in custody pending his first legal proceedings regarding the matter. The suspect will appear in Bloemfontein Magistrate court on Wednesday (11/2).

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