A 33-year-old man in South Africa has been taken into custody after allegedly confessing to killing a sex worker and burying her body in a porcupine burrow on a farm.
The man, who lives on a farm in Vogelspruitpoort, Belfast, surrendered himself to the Belfast police station on Wednesday. According to Mpumalanga police spokesperson Colonel Donald Mdhluli, the man had picked up the woman on the streets last Friday and taken her back to his farm.
After drinking together, the woman allegedly began to make noise. The man tried to calm her down but was unsuccessful. He then allegedly put her underwear in her mouth to muffle her screams and strangled her. He is also accused of stabbing her.
The man subsequently drove to a farm about 20 kilometers away and disposed of the body in a porcupine burrow. He covered the burrow with stones to conceal the remains.
No one had reported the woman missing prior to the man’s confession. It is believed that his guilty conscience prompted him to turn himself in. The police are currently searching for the victim’s family.
The suspect has been charged with murder and is expected to appear in the Belfast Magistrate’s Court soon.
Mpumalanga acting provincial police commissioner Major-General Zeph Mkhwanazi expressed his condolences to the victim’s family and emphasized the commitment to addressing gender-based violence. An intense investigation into the case is underway.
