The South African Police Service (SAPS) in the Free State has launched an investigation into the murders of two women who were found at two different abandoned buildings in Theusissen over the weekend.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) has launched an investigation following the discovery of two women’s bodies in Theunissen, a mining town located 45 km from Welkom, Free State.
Lieutenant-Colonel Thabo Covane said the first woman, identified as 32-year-old Nthabiseng Moiloa, was discovered on Saturday. The police were called to a possible murder scene on Le Roux Street, where they met with a member of the neighbourhood watch who led them to an abandoned building.
The police discovered an African female lying motionless inside the building. Covane said the woman was half-naked and had sustained multiple injuries to her head and stomach.
The victim was declared dead at the scene by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel. Covane said the preliminary investigations revealed that the woman sustained multiple stab wounds, and the police are not ruling out the possibility that she may have been sexually assaulted.
Second woman found deceased in Theunissen
Convane said police discovered the second victim’s body on Sunday, also inside an abandoned building.
A group of children were reportedly playing near the building close to the day care centre in Masilo, Theunissen when they made the horrific discovery of the half-naked woman inside a toilet with serious head injuries.
Police say the woman’s body, identified as 25-year-old Kedibone Hlabahlaba, was already in a state of decomposition.
Covane said the motive for the two murders remains unclear, and no arrests have been made. Investigations in both cases are under way.
SAPS Provincial Commissioner Lieutenant-General Thabang Solomon Lesia established a multidisciplinary task team, led by the Provincial Serious and Violent Crime Unit, to find the suspect or suspects involved in the murders.
SAPS appeal for help with probe
The SAPS condemned the murders of the two women, emphasising the police’s commitment to ensuring that perpetrators are apprehended.
“These brutal murders come as the South African Police Service in the Free State Province is about to launch the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide in the Lejeweleputswa District at Odendaalsrus,” said Covane.
The SAPS has appealed to anyone with information that could lead to the arrest of the suspects to contact the Task Team Commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Jame Mahlatsi, on 073 463 8990 or SAPS Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
Police added that anonymous tip-offs can be sent on the MySAPS App, and any information received on the anonymous tip line will be treated with strict confidentiality.