Police arrested a suspect in Limpopo over the murder of a woman whose body was found at Mooifontein Cemetery in Tembisa. Image credit Supplied
Police have arrested a suspect in the Tembisa cemetery murder of a woman whose body was found at Mooifontein Cemetery on Saturday. A multidisciplinary team tracked the man to Mohlabaneng village in Limpopo, where officers found him asleep in his room.
Police have identified the woman as Ntombifuthu Nxumalo. Her body lay naked in the cemetery in Vusimusi Section, Tembisa South, with serious head injuries.
According to reports, police found stones around her body, and investigators suspect she may have been stoned. However, officers saw no visible stab wounds.
How police traced the Tembisa cemetery murder suspect
Nxumalo was last seen drinking at a local tavern before she left with a man. Later that night, residents heard screaming near the cemetery at about 23:00.
Soon after the discovery, detectives traced the suspect to an address in Tembisa. They then established that he had travelled to Limpopo. As a result, the team followed him there and arrested him on the same day.
Gauteng police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili confirmed that officers found the suspect asleep in his room before they arrested him.
Acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane praised the team for their speed and coordination. She said their determination led to the arrest on the same day. The Gauteng Provincial Commissioner also commended the investigators.
So far, police have not named the suspect or said when he will appear in court.
Nxumalo’s death brought the number of women found dead in Ekurhuleni to ten since July. Then on Sunday, police found an eleventh body in open veld in Springs.
Still, police have not confirmed any link between the Tembisa arrest and the earlier killings. Investigators continue to treat each case separately.
Last week, detectives also arrested one man and two women over the murder of the ninth victim in Dawn Park, Boksburg.
For now, the Tembisa cemetery murder arrest offers some relief to a community gripped by fear, as the wider investigation continues.
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