Serialist arrested

■ Jeff Jackson

A 32-year-old serial criminal, Khomotso Gerald Makua, who was sought for serious and violent crimes including murder, rape and burglary was arrested in Sterkfontein in the early hours of Tuesday, 7th of April in the Hlogotlou Policing area outside Groblersdal. This arrest followed an intelligence driven operation comprising the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) and Crime Prevention (CPU) Units in the area.

The crimes were allegedly committed between 2015 and 2019. In one of the incidents that occurred at the Legolaneng public place on the 28th of September 2016 at around 16:45, Police were allegedly alerted about a murder. Upon arrival at the scene, they found the body of a woman with multiple injuries and some body parts missing. She was later identified as Thabitha Makola (62). A case of murder was then opened and Police immediately commenced with investigations, hunting for the suspect(s) involved.

The suspect was subsequently arrested through the forensic investigations that followed and was further linked to four other cases of rape and three cases of residential burglary in the area. The motive behind the murder is still being investigated but ritual murder cannot be ruled out. Makua appeared in the Nebo Magistrate’s court on Wednesday where his trail was inexplicably postponed to the 22nd of April for a former bail application. The SAPS Provincial Commissioner in Limpopo, Lt Gen Nneke Ledwaba, applauded this team of police members for their endless efforts in ensuring the suspect is arrested and will face the full might of the law.