Murdered teacher Booi Azola Mkhondo. Photo supplied
Phuthaditjhaba police in the Free State have made a breakthrough in the murder of teacher Booi Azola Mkhondo (30), who was initially thought to be linked to a hijacking. This came in the form of the recovery of the victim’s Polo and a suspect who subsequently handed himself in to police.
The murdered teacher worked at Makabelane Technical School in Phuthaditjhaba, Qwaqwa. The police investigation includes forensic analysis and investigation into the motive for the murder.
WO Mmako Mophiring, spokesperson for the Thabo Mofutsanyana regional police, said Mkhondo’s Polo sedan was recovered in Vereeniging, which is part of an area known as the Vaal Triangle in Gauteng province. The victim’s body was found on Friday, July 5, dumped along the R711 road between Clarens and Golden Gate.
According to Mophiring, the recovery of the car and the fact that the suspect had turned himself in to the police were important clues in the investigation into Mkhondo’s murder.
“The car was locked, it had not been tampered with. There were bloodstains visible inside the vehicle, and this prompted the forensic analysis as part of the investigation. The victim’s body had multiple stab wounds and his clothes also had bloodstains,” Mophiring said.
According to Mophiring, the possibility of hijacking was initially ruled out when the vehicle was recovered.
“Some of Mkhondo’s belongings were found on the 29-year-old man who handed himself in to Fouriesburg police. The investigation will establish the motive behind his murder and the location of his vehicle. It has been established that the person is a friend of Mkhondo, who reported him missing along with friends at Phuthaditjhaba police station on Saturday 6 July,” Mophiring said.
He said the suspect, who lives in Mashaeng, Fouriesburg, handed himself over to police on Sunday, two days after the victim’s body was found by a Golden Gate National Park officer who alerted police. He said the body was found around 10am.
Mophiring said the suspect would appear in the Phuthaditjhaba Magistrates’ Court, where he was charged with murder. Mkhondo is reportedly originally from the Eastern Cape.
Teboho Setena
www.news24.com
