After four months of evading police and trying to escape arrest, a 34-year-old man wanted for the murder of 82-year-old pensioner, Muniamah Govender, was arrested after he was chased for 2.5km by members of the K9 Unit, on Wednesday.
The man, known as Spha, was employed at Govender s home in Greendale Road as a gardener and made his first appearance in the Chatsworth Magistrate s Court on Friday, where he was remanded into police custody until his formal bail application. It is believed that Govender s son, who often visits his mother during the day, arrived at her home on 8 July to find that the driveway gate was slightly ajar and the house gate locked.
After entering the house using his duplicate key, he found that the house had been ransacked and discovered his mother s lifeless body in the en-suite of her three-bedroom home. She died from strangulation. The communications officer for Bayview SAPS, Warrant Officer Collin Chetty, said Bayview Police were investigating a case of murder, house break-in and theft. (Valuables including a 49-inch LG TV and her cellphone were taken. A few days after the murder, Bayview detectives made an arrest of a male, however, he was questioned and released as there was a lack of evidence to prosecute.
The investigation indicated that another suspect was on the run and on Wednesday, 10 November, members of the deceased s family were determined to ensure they receive some sort of justice for the uncalled for and brutal death of their elderly relative and approached Bayview detectives who then used the information supplied and investigative techniques, which paid dividends as detectives traced the whereabouts of the outstanding suspect in Woodhurst.
The team, consisting of members from the Bayview SAPS and the SAPS K9 Unit, arrested the suspect, who tried to evade police. Police chased the suspect for about 2.5km before arresting him in the Kharwastan area, said W/O Chetty.Station commander of the Bayview SAPS, Lieutenant Colonel Sithole, commended the members for their dedication and commitment in ensuring the suspect is brought to book.
He said police will remain committed to the fight against crime and keeping criminals out of society.
The pensioner was found strangled in the en-suite of her home in Silverglen****
