Vlakfontein shack grave suspect sent for medical examination

A 28-year-old Vlakfontein man accused of murdering and burying his 41-year-old lover in a shallow grave in their shack was on Tuesday taken by police to a doctor for medical examination.

The test is expected to either prove or rule out whether he was assaulted after his arrest.

Gauteng MEC for community safety Faith Mazibuko told journalists that the man was taken to a doctor as standard procedure ahead of his court appearance on Tuesday morning.

“He is supposed to appear here at the Protea magistrate's court [in Soweto]. But the information we have from the station commander is that he needed to be taken to a doctor for medical observation early in the morning. That’s why they delayed with the docket,” Mazibuko said.

She said this was done to prevent the suspect from claiming that he was assaulted by the police during questioning. “Usually suspects will allege that they have been tortured so they had to take him to the doctor to verify that he was not assaulted."

Community members protested outside court on Tuesday.

Mazibuko said her department conceded to the community’s request to provide them with a safety kiosk, due to the distance of the police station.

“They alleged that going to the police station is far, so we sent a safety kiosk to them yesterday and we have also sent a team from Ikhaya Lethemba who will be able to get on record and open cases. Others said they have opened cases but their cases have not been investigated.

“We are now putting together a specialised team to investigate violence cases that are gender-related,” Mazibuko said.

TimesLIVE reported on Monday that police made the discovery of the woman's body on Sunday, following a tip-off from a concerned friend.

Police spokesperson Capt Mavela Masondo said the friend last saw the deceased in June. In July, she went to the deceased's boyfriend to find out where she was.

Masondo said the boyfriend told her that the deceased had found a job and was living  with her employer. On Saturday, however, after noticing that the woman had not returned home for almost two months, the friend called the police and reported her suspicions.

"Police responded swiftly and approached the boyfriend. Upon questioning the suspect, he pointed out a shallow grave inside the shack," Masondo said.

The man was arrested and is facing a murder charge.

Masondo appealed for the 41-year-old’s family to contact police to formally identify her.

She is believed to have come from QwaQwa in the Free State.