National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said the accused was charged with one count of murder though six bodies were discovered.
“At this stage we only have evidence that links him to one murder,” she said when addressing the media outside court.
Mjonondwane requested the identity of the suspect be concealed pending the identity parade.
He was arrested on Sunday after the discovery of the six bodies.
Mjonondwane said the caretaker was washing a car when he noticed a foul smell coming from an unused building on the premises. Upon investigating, he found a woman’s body and called the owner of the business premises.
The matter was reported to the Johannesburg Central police station. When police arrived, five more women’s bodies were discovered.
“The NPA gave instructions for further investigations to be conducted regarding the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the rest of the bodies,” Mjonondwane said.
The case was remanded to October 18 for bail application proceedings.
Six bodies: Accused had previous arrest for rape which was withdrawn
Image: Antonio Muchave
Police have confirmed that the 20-year-old suspect arrested after the discovery of six women’s bodies at a panelbeating business in Johannesburg had a previous case of rape opened against him.
Provincial police spokesperson Brig Brenda Muridili confirmed the rape case was withdrawn by the complainant in February this year.
“The accused was arrested in June 2021 in connection with a rape case. The case was withdrawn by the complainant in 2022,” said Muridili.
The suspect appeared briefly in the Johannesburg magistrate’s court on Tuesday, covering his face with a black cloth. He was charged with one count of premeditated murder.
State prosecutor Nazley January requested that the matter be postponed for seven days to allow investigators to conduct an identity parade and confirm his residential address.
Magistrate Betty Khumalo told the accused she had noted he had already secured a legal representative from Legal Aid. “The state is alleging you are facing a schedule 6 offence, which is a serious offence,” she said.
Suspect, 21, arrested after six bodies discovered in Joburg building
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said the accused was charged with one count of murder though six bodies were discovered.
“At this stage we only have evidence that links him to one murder,” she said when addressing the media outside court.
Mjonondwane requested the identity of the suspect be concealed pending the identity parade.
He was arrested on Sunday after the discovery of the six bodies.
Mjonondwane said the caretaker was washing a car when he noticed a foul smell coming from an unused building on the premises. Upon investigating, he found a woman’s body and called the owner of the business premises.
The matter was reported to the Johannesburg Central police station. When police arrived, five more women’s bodies were discovered.
“The NPA gave instructions for further investigations to be conducted regarding the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the rest of the bodies,” Mjonondwane said.
The case was remanded to October 18 for bail application proceedings.
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