Police arrest suspect who bludgeoned woman to death with a wooden mortar at a liquor store

File picture: Leon Lestrade/African News Agency/ANA.

File picture: Leon Lestrade/African News Agency/ANA.

Published Mar 3, 2023

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Cape Town - Police in Mpumalanga have arrested a suspect who allegedly bludgeoned a woman to death with a wooden mortar at a liquor outlet in Calcutta.

Police said 53-year-old Mathilda Siwele was at a liquor store at Justicia Trust in Calcutta on Thursday at about 3pm, when the incident happened.

They said a 35-year-old suspect was arrested on Friday at his house and is expected to appear in the Mkhuhlu Magistrate's Court on Monday, where he will face murder charges.

Mpumalanga police spokesperson Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said police received a report about a murdered woman at the liquor outlet.

“Police and emergency personnel responded to the complaint and, upon arrival, they found the body of a woman lying on the ground, and she was unfortunately certified dead on the scene by paramedics,” Mohlala said.

Mohlala said a murder docket was opened and after an investigation was conducted, it was discovered that the victim had been beaten with a wooden mortar by a suspect who had fled the scene.

Mohlala said the suspect had been traced and arrested by the police at his residence.

“He was charged with murder, and he will appear in the Mkhuhlu Magistrate's Court on Monday, facing the said charges,” Mohlala added.

Meanwhile, the acting provincial commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant-General Zeph Mkhwanazi, lauded the police’s swift investigative work and welcomed the arrest of the suspect.

IOL