Gauteng cops still trying to connect the dots in Soweto body parts case after head found

Gauteng police on Thursday said they were still trying to determine whether the body parts found in a fridge in Soweto at the weekend were linked to a dismembered head found in Randfontein on Tuesday.

Police spokesperson Brig Brenda Muridili said police were also trying to determine the identity of the victim, saying that forensic and DNA testing was not yet concluded.

The head was found a 23-minute drive from the Soweto home where body parts were discovered in a man's fridge by a female friend of his at the weekend.

Muridili said more missing body parts are being sought. They are possibly connected to a 23-year-old woman from Soshanguve in Pretoria.

In the meantime, a woman, Tshenolo Pitse, spoke to SAfm saying she believed that the dismembered person was her sister. In a bizarre twist, the woman also claimed she was related to the murder accused, Flavio Hlabangwane. She said that their mothers were sisters.

She said her sister and Flavio, who were first cousins, were also in a relationship.

She told the station that the two were dating for five years. Pitse said that Hlabangwane would not let her see her sister. She also claimed that she was allegedly threatened with protection orders by Hlabangwane.

Pitse claimed that they had a “violent relationship” and alleged that Hlabangwane would tell her sister what to wear and monitor her movements.

Police could not immediately confirm the woman's speculation that the dismembered body was that of her sister, simply saying their investigations were still under way.

Hlabangwane was arrested at his home in Protea Glen.

After the discovery, Hlabangwane stabbed himself in an alleged suicide attempt and was admitted to hospital. He has since been discharged and appeared in court, Muridili said.

Hlabangwane, 26, appeared in the Protea Glen magistrate's court on Monday and the matter has been postponed to November 22.

She said the body parts would be sent to a forensic laboratory for identification.

Muridili said the investigation had been taken over by the provincial occult-related crime investigations team.

TimesLIVE