Xander Bylsma found guilty of murder of two girls at Stella school hostel

A 22-year-old man has been found guilty of murdering two teenage girls at their school hostel in May 2018.

North West police commissioner Lt-Gen Sello Kwena welcomed Monday's judgment in the Mmabatho high court, which found Xander Bylsma guilty on two counts of murder.

The conviction of Bylsma, 22, followed the deaths of Marna Engelbrecht, 17, and Sharnelle Hough, 16, who were killed at the Stella High School hostel, near Vryburg, on May 21 2018.

Bylsma was 19 at the time.

Their bodies were discovered by the hostel matron, who first found the body of Engelbrecht hanging from the rails of a staircase.

"She alerted the school management and the police were summoned. Upon investigation, the police discovered the second body with a string around her neck at the hostel's bathroom," said police spokesperson Col Adéle Myburgh.

Myburgh said following a thorough investigation, Bylsma - who is believed to be an ex-boyfriend of one of the two girls - was arrested, and the court on Monday found him guilty of the two murders.

The date of sentencing has not yet been determined by the court.