A second suspect in the murder case of a Matjhabeng employee has been arrested.

The Free State police spokesperson Motansti Makhele said the arrest of the man (42), believed to be the boyfriend of the deceased, came after a plea for information about his whereabouts. 

Disebo Mosupa (30) was reported missing by her father two weeks ago, and on Friday (19/7) she was found buried in a shallow grave at a cemetery. This was after an intensive search by her colleagues, friends, family members, and the police.

‘The suspect was found and arrested’

Makhele said on Sunday (21/7), at about 18:00, intelligence-led information took Bloemfontein Tactical Response Team and Mangaung detectives to a house in phase 4, Bloemfontein, where the suspect was found and arrested.

The mayor of Matjhabeng, Thanduxolo Khalipha, urged community members to collaborate with law enforcement agencies in a search for the suspect involved in the murder of their colleague at the municipality. This after a primary suspect, believed to be Mosupa’s boyfriend, had disappeared, prompting an intensified search by the police. A friend (37) of the boyfriend has been arrested in connection with the crime.

‘It’s truly a dark day for us’

“It’s a sad day for Matjhabeng, to lose a young woman of 30 years old. It’s truly a dark day for us. We will work closely with the family and the police until the suspect is found. We are appealing to our community to join hands and help bring the suspect to justice,” Khalipha said earlier.

He also expressed hope the suspects would not be granted bail and the investigation would lead to a successful conviction with a harsher sentence.

Meanwhile, the Free State Social Development MEC, Mathabo Leeto, also commented on the incident, expressing deep concern over the persistent cases of gender-based violence (GBV) in the province.

“Issues of GBV are troubling us as a department and society in general. We call on everyone to work with us and other departments to address GBV. Relationships should not end in violence. We need to understand why men and boys are so angry that they end up killing women. This requires collaboration with researchers to identify the root causes,” Leeto said.

Makhele says the suspect who was arrested earlier will appear today in the Welkom Magistrate Court for murder, while this second suspect, will make his first court appearance later also in Welkom.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi dg