Police have apprehended two additional male suspects in connection with the murder of a 34-year-old woman and her 2-year-old daughter, who were reported missing in mid-May 2025.
On Friday, 01 August 2025, the Thohoyandou Vhembe District Team, alongside the Provincial Missing Persons Investigators, conducted an operation at Hlabeni Block F in the Saselamani policing area. During the operation, a 55-year-old male suspect was arrested.
Further investigations led authorities to the home of a 38-year-old traditional healer in Muraga village under the Thohoyandou precinct. The suspect was allegedly found in possession of the missing heads of the two victims and was subsequently arrested.
This development follows the gruesome discovery of the mother and daughter’s bodies on Wednesday, 30 July 2025, after police acted on a credible lead. Two other suspects, Tshilidzi Phalandwa (43) and Balangani Sedzani Tshivhombedze (32), were previously arrested in connection with the murders.
Phalandwa and Tshivhombedze appeared in the Thohoyandou Magistrate’s Court on Friday, 01 August 2025, where they were remanded in custody. The case was postponed to Tuesday, 12 August 2025, for further investigation.
Meanwhile, the 55-year-old suspect and the 38-year-old traditional healer are set to appear before the Thohoyandou Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 04 August 2025, facing charges of murder. Additionally, the traditional healer will be charged with possession of human tissue.
Police investigations into the case are ongoing.
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