The Mtwalume murders: what you need to know

The murders of five women in Mtwalume, on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal, has left SA reeling.

Here's what you need to know:

The victims

Four of the victims have been identified. They were: Akhona Gumede, 25, Nosipho Gumede, 16, Nelisiwe Dube, 22, and Zama Chiliza, 38. One woman, who was in her 20s, has not yet been identified.

Chiliza disappeared on July 6 and her body was discovered by local women gathering wood on Tuesday last week. The bodies of Akhona, Nosipho and Nelisiwe were discovered in sugar cane fields in April and July.

The owner of the sugar cane plantation, Siyabonga Gasa, told TimesLIVE that he would seek the assistance of private investigators to find the suspects behind the murders. He also offered a R20,000 reward to anyone with concrete information about them.

What the government had to say

Police minister Bheki Cele visited the area on Saturday and told the community that two local men had been arrested and would appear in court on Monday.

The men were caught with cellphones and SIM cards allegedly belonging to the victims.

An apparent suicide and an investigation 

On Monday, Cele confirmed an apparent suicide of 41-year-old Siphamandla Khomo, the man believed to be the main suspect in the killings. He died while in police custody at the Hibberdene police station.

In its statement, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) said Khomo allegedly hanged himself with a cord from his tracksuit pants. He was facing five counts of murder.

Cele said the suspect had “confessed to the murders” and was expected to direct police to more crime scenes. The minister said he confessed to killing more women and that more families had come forward to report people missing.

A court appearance and lack of evidence 

The second suspect did not appear before the Umzumbe magistrate's court on Monday after officials said there was a lack of evidence. The man had been detained with Khomo at the Hibberdene police station.

A group of women gathered outside the court and demanded to see the suspect and were angry after learning that he would not appear.