Cele and senior police officials visited the scene where the last body was found. The visit coincided with a peaceful prayer march organised by community leaders.
Police Minister Gen Bheki Cele arrives at the crime scene in Mthwalume, South Coast, Kwa-Zulu Natal, following the discovery of bodies of five women over the past few days. #StopKillingWomen @SAPoliceService pic.twitter.com/9EtjWh2jMv
— Lirandzu Themba (@LirandzuThemba) August 15, 2020
#PoliceMinistry Police Minister satisfied on the progress made in cracking Mthwalume serial murders. Two men, who have been arrested as persons of interest in connection with the five murders, are expected to appear in court on Monday, 17/08. MEhttps://t.co/Xkw8ofhBaT pic.twitter.com/lq8sC9g6Qr
— SA Police Service ?? (@SAPoliceService) August 15, 2020
In the video below, community gathers in song at plantation where the bodies of women were found:
Members of the community from uMthwalume and surrounding areas marched from a local filling station to the scene where the sixth victim’s body was found. Various interfaith organisations held a prayer asking for divine interventions. Candles were lit in memory of the deceased. Most women in attendance were wearing black and calling for an end to gender-based -violence.
In responding to some of the community concerns a mobile police station has been erected in the area. Cele also committed to increase the number of police officers working in the area. He says they are already seeing the results after two suspects were arrested with enough evidence linking them to the killings…
Cele says, “We are glad to say we have picked up some people and we believe those people are the right people. They’ll be appearing in court come Monday and these are local people here with the help of the community and with help from police we have taken the matter serious.”
Cele has called on police to thoroughly investigate the murder of the sixth woman whose body was also dumped in the same plantation.
“We are very happy today to see him (Cele) in the area. I think we got the answers because we seldom get the mobile police station around the area. So we are very happy about that. We also think they have to talk because we think there’s someone behind all this. They have to talk.”
The suspects are set to appear in the Turton Magistrate’s Court in uMthwalume on Monday. They face charges related to murder and kidnapping.