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Durban – The suspected Tongaat cane fields strangler was arrested in a flat in St Francis Bay, in the Eastern Cape, on Sunday after months of evading police in a nationwide search.
The man was linked to the murder of three women whose bodies were found in the Tongaat sugar plantations, police spokesman Vincent Mdunge confirmed on Sunday.
The 36-year-old man was to be questioned on Monday and would appear in court soon.
“He must be profiled to see if he can be linked to more cases,” Mdunge said.
The body of Phindile Ndlovu, a Hillcrest domestic worker, was found in Tongaat on May 31, while the partly burnt body of Philisiwe Hlatshwayo, 44, was found by sugar cane staff investigating a fire, believed to have been started by the suspect.
The third body, which is yet to be identified, was found on June 8. It was burnt beyond recognition. The suspect is alleged to have strangled the women after raping them.
Two other bodies were also found in the cane fields. Police believe the man lured some of his victims through a dating website.
A senior policeman involved in the search described the investigation as a “nightmare” as the suspect lived in a block of flats close to the Tongaat police station and had managed to give them the slip several times.
“We missed him at the flat by 10 minutes,” he said, adding that several stakeouts outside the block had been fruitless.
Police then received information that he was hiding in Mtunzini, at his family’s kraal.
“We searched day and night. When we got to the kraal in Mtunzini, we missed him again,” the policeman said.
With police hot on his trail, the suspect moved to Richards Bay and hid in the bush.
On July 16, the policeman said, the man moved to Groutville, giving the police the slip again.
On July 19, police were tipped off that a relative had sent him money and last Friday he travelled to Port Elizabeth by bus.
“He arrived on Saturday morning and we contacted the organised crime unit in Port Elizabeth and gave them all the information on the suspect.”
At dawn on Sunday, police stormed the St Francis flat and found the man asleep.
The policeman commended the man’s family for helping the police instead of aiding the suspect.
“His mother had alerted me that he might come to their kraal. She even advised him to hand himself over when he called her,” he said.
Tongaat detectives are expected to arrive in Durban on Monday with the man.
Families of the victims had mixed reaction to the arrest on Sunday.
Ntando Hlatshwayo, Philisiwe’s eldest daughter, said she was relieved a suspect had been arrested.
Albertina Ndlovu, Phindile’s mother, could only say: “I leave everything in the capable hands of God. Nothing the police do will bring back my child. She’s gone, and I’m trying all means to get over this.”
The Mercury
