The case against Tshepiso Lucas Leeto, who is accused of murdering his two-year-old nephew, was postponed in Lichtenburg magistrate’s court on Friday.
The 23-year-old, represented by Legal Aid SA, is expected to make his formal bail application on July 14.
National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Henry Mamothame said police reports revealed that Leeto was arrested on Wednesday for the alleged murder of Neo Refemetswe Tlhame.
Neo's body was found in a shallow grave at Extension 3, Blydeville, outside Lichtenburg, on Tuesday.
Mamothame said a police interrogation linked Leeto to the murder and he was subsequently arrested and charged.
“The report indicates that police were called by Neo’s mother after they spotted a suspicious grave near the river. The grave was dug out and the decomposed body of young Neo was identified with the clothes he was wearing on the day of his disappearance,” he said.
Mamothame said according to the police, Neo went missing on May 24 while with his grandparents.
North West director of public prosecutions Dr Rachel Makhari-Sekhaolelo lauded police commissioner Lt-Gen Sello Kwena’s officers for a swift arrest.
“We trust the collaboration between ourselves and the police will bring justice for the family of the deceased,” she said.
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