KaNyamazane Man, 23, Confesses to Kidnapping, ‘Killing’ Grade 12 Pupil
- Police are investigating the kidnapping and murder of a Grade 12 female learner in KaNyamazane
- The suspect called police to report finding the girl dead inside a room with a rope tied around her neck
- An investigation quickly identified the complainant as the alleged killer and he was arrested and charged
- Police spokesperson Lt-Col Jabu Ndubane told Briefly News he confessed to forcing her to take her life
Source: Original
MPUMALANGA — A man has been arrested for kidnapping and murder after allegedly forcing a Grade 12 Lowveld High School pupil to his room at knife-point in KaNyamazane.
The suspect initially called the police to report the girl had committed suicide inside a room he claimed was his brother's at their home in Extension 16 at about 5.30pm on Friday, 14 March 2025.
Man nabbed for murder of Grade 12 girl
He described how she would have reportedly died before officers responded to the scene, and found the man, a 23-year-old known to the girl.
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Mpumalanga police spokesperson Lt-Col Jabu Ndubane said the family last saw the girl when she left for school at about 5.45am on Friday.
The 17-year-old usually rode a bus to school, leaving in time to catch it. However, Ndubane told Briefly News she did not make it to school after encountering the suspect at a nearby shop.
He allegedly forced her to his house, one street away from where she lived.
At some point during the day, the man reportedly threatened her with a knife, and she was murdered. Ndubane said he did not use the knife.
"At around 2pm, a witness who spoke to him at the shop, saw him buying snacks for a child in the area. He told the witness he was doing it to try console himself for something terrible he did.
"At the same time, he was selling a cellphone, which is believed to be hers, for R100," Ndubane told Briefly News.
Ndubane said the suspect, who was not known to be in a relationship with the learner, later confessed to the murder, saying he had cut her down after she was dead. He called the police nearly 12 hours later to report the incident.
On arrival, he directed the responding officers to her body.
"He initially said the room belonged to his brother and he knew nothing [about] what happened. When the brother was questioned, he said it wasn't his room, but the suspect's. Police then proceeded to arrest the 23-year-old."
Lethukuthula, who was still in her uniform, was found with a duvet cover over her body and a rope around her neck. Another piece hung from the ceiling.
A post-mortem will determine whether she was sexually assaulted.
"The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation. However, detectives fingered the man as a person of interest early on. Hence, he has been apprehended and charged with murder," said Ndubane.
The suspect is expected to appear at Kanyamazane District Court on 17 March.
Acting Provincial Commissioner Maj-Gen Zeph Mkhwanazi strongly condemned the senseless killing.
"She was a learner who achieved straight As and had a promising future ahead of her. I commend the police for acting swiftly to arrest the suspect."
Teen girl's remains found in shallow grave
In a related story, Briefly News reported that police exhumed a teenage girl's body from a shallow grave in Pudimoe, North West, on Saturday, 11 January.
Initial police investigations indicated the 16-year-old, who was shortly after identified, was violently murdered before being buried.
"Information about a possible murder was received on Friday, 10 January. A resident reported hearing the cries of a woman from a neighbour's house the night before," said police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone.
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Source: Briefly News
