60-year-old ex-convict arrested for 'killing' his girlfriend's child

A 60-year-old man is behind bars for allegedly murdering his girlfriend's six-year-old daughter, Gauteng police said on Tuesday.

The girl’s body was found in a dam in Soshanguve Block GG, near Pretoria, said Brig Mathapelo Peters. 

“Preliminary investigations suggest that [the child was killed] after a fight between the suspect and his 22-year-old girlfriend, who is the deceased child's mother,” said Peters.

The couple and the child lived together in Block PP2, Ndlozi Section, in Soshanguve.

Peters said the girl was reported missing on Sunday at the Rietgat SAPS.

“During the initial investigation, police were able to swiftly establish that the 60-year-old suspect was behind the disappearance of the child,” said Peters.

On Monday, he pointed out to police the spot where he allegedly dumped the child's body.

“While the nature of visible injuries on the victim's body suggest that the child had been strangled, the exact cause of death will be confirmed by a post mortem,” Peters said.

Police had since established that the elderly man was not a first-time offender.

“The suspect is an ex-convict who previously spent 25 years behind bars for the murder of his ex-wife and her lover,” said Peters.

Gauteng police commissioner Lt-Gen Elias Mawela has condemned the incident, describing it as callous and heartless.

The man is scheduled to appear in the Soshanguve magistrate's court on December 27.