Mpumalanga Man, 23, Freed After ‘Confessing’ to Killing Matric Pupil, 17, in KaNyamazane

• A confessed KaNyamazane killer in Mpumalanga was released from custody following the death of a matric pupil
• The suspect was expected to appear in the district court before the prosecution order further investigations
• Police spokesperson Lt-Col Jabu Ndubane told Briefly News suspect had reported that the girl had committed suicide
• Mpumalanga NPA regional spokesperson Monica Nyuswa told Briefly News the suspect was not indicted on the charges

Tshepiso Mametela is a seasoned journalist and the Head of Current Affairs at Briefly News. He reported live from President Cyril Ramaphosa's inauguration and has written articles on politics, crime, courts, accidents, and topics including sports at The Herald and Opera News SA over several years.

MPUMALANGA — A man who allegedly confessed to kidnapping and forcing a Grade 12 Lowveld High School pupil to kill herself in KaNyamazane has been released from police custody.

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The suspect was expected to appear in the KaNyamazane District Court on Monday, 17 March 2025, three days after the alleged incident.

KaNyamazane matric killing suspect freed

According to police information, the victim, 17, left the house at about 5.45am on 14 March to catch the bus to school.

Along the way, she encountered the suspect, who was at a nearby shop, before he allegedly forced her to his house a street away.

Mpumalanga police spokesperson Lt-Col Jabu Ndubane told Briefly News the victim knew the 23-year-old man. At about 5.30pm, the suspect called the police to report that the girl had committed suicide.

Police responded to the scene in Extension 16, finding the victim, who had a duvet cover over her, with a rope around her neck.

"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," said Ndubane.

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Officers arrested the suspect, charging him with the murder, which, according to Ndubane, he confessed to committing.

Mpumalanga National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) regional spokesperson Monica Nyuswa told Briefly News the suspect was not indicted on the charges and, due to the matter not being enrolled, did not appear in court.

He was released shortly afterwards.

"The investigation is incomplete and the prosecution gave instructions for a further investigation and to return the docket after finalising the outstanding investigation," said Nyuswa.

When asked about the suspect's alleged confession, she said:

"We always have issues with confession statements. [That is], and which usually happens, is that the suspect might claim that they gave the statement under duress. Hence, the prosecution ordered further investigations."

She added that the outstanding evidence included a post-mortem report, confirming the victim's cause of death.

Source: Briefly News