A 41-year-old man will on Friday appear before the Piet Retief Magistrate’s Court in Mpumalanga after he allegedly murdered a woman who was demanding her goat.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Media
Police at Dirkiesdorp, near Piet Retief in Mpumalanga, have arrested a 41-year-old man in connection with the brutal murder of a 46-year-old woman amid a dispute over a goat.
Provincial police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane said the murder apparently happened when the woman went to the home of the 41-year-old man to demand her goat, which had been illegally sold to the man.
“According to information received, on Friday 2 May 2025, a herdsman sold a goat to the (murder) suspect. Upon returning home, the goat’s owner questioned the herdsmen about the missing goat, and he confessed that he had sold it to the suspect,” said Ndubane.
The following morning, on 3 May, around 6am, 06:00, the woman who was the goat’s owner went to the 41-year-old man’s residence to confront him.
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Police said the woman did not return home.
“On Sunday, 4 May 2025, the victim’s family reported her missing. Police immediately launched an investigation, which led them to the suspect’s residence. He was arrested on Wednesday, 7 May 2025,” said Ndubane.
Preliminary police investigations have revealed that the 41-year-old man encountered the woman before she reached his home.
“He allegedly murdered her, and buried her in a shallow grave. The suspect then used the victim’s cellphone to send misleading messages to her family, claiming she had received R2,000 and was going to Swaziland,” said Ndubane.
In the misleading messages, the killer sought to create a perception that the woman had been paid the R2,000 after she found that her missing goat had already been slaughtered.
After sending out the misleading messages, the 41-year-old allegedly destroyed the woman’s cellphone, by burning it.
“Further investigation led the suspect to point out the location of the shallow grave where the victim’s body was recovered. He has been charged with murder, robbery, and defeating the ends of justice. Additional charges may follow as the investigation continues,” said Ndubane.
The arrested murder-accused man was on Friday scheduled to appear before the Piet Retief Magistrate’s Court.
Meanwhile, acting provincial commissioner of police in Mpumalanga, Major General Zeph Mkhwanazi, has expressed shock and disappointment over the brutal murder, especially as the country continues to face a crisis of gender-based violence against women and children.
jonisayi.maromo@iol.co.za
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