A suspect declared wanted for the murder of a South African university student has been killed in a shootout with police.
The man had been connected to the murder of Olorato Mongale, whose body was discovered in Johannesburg on Sunday, about two hours after she was reported missing having gone on a date.
Police officers found the main suspect hiding at a residential complex, in the early hours of Friday morning, in the coastal town of Amanzimtoti, police Spox Athlenda Mathe disclosed.
Brigadier Mathe said, the suspect, who is still unnamed by the police, opened fire at the officers, who returned fire and killed him.
Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, Regional Police Commissioner, said that at the time of the suspect’s death, he had 28 ID cards and a dozen mobile phones in his possession.
A Spox for Ms Mongale’s family, Chriselda Kananda, told SABC News: “It is quite a relief for the family that justice for Olorato, before we even lay her body to rest, would have been served.”
The murder of Ms Mongale has ignited a fierce dispute about the levels of violence faced by women in South Africa.
South Africa has one of the highest rates of femicide and gender-based violence in the world.
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, via an impassioned statement, called Ms Mongale’s killing “inhumane” and “gruesome”, adding: “To all men, this is a plea – simple, urgent, and human: Please, stop killing women.”
While the search for two other men allegedly linked to the murder continues, the police took the parents of the deceased suspect into custody.
The suspect’s mother is accused of helping him to “evade arrest” by giving him information about the police’s presence at her house. The police revealed, the suspect’s father is the owner of a VW Polo allegedly used in Ms Mongale’s murder.
Brig Mathe said, the vehicle, which has been seized by the police, had traces of blood inside it.
Commissioner Mkhwanazi disclosed, The suspect’s parents were questioned in custody, however, have now been released.
On Sunday, when Ms Mongale was last seen, she was on a date with a man she had met a few days earlier at a shopping centre.
CCTV footage revealed her leaving a location in Kew, Johannesburg, and moving towards a white VW Polo with fake licence plates.
Friends of the 30-year-old said, she was invited for a date by a man simply known as John, who she had met in Johannesburg, where she was studying for a postgraduate degree at Witwatersrand University.
She sent a text to one of her friends shortly before leaving home, saying that she was excited and getting set for her date. However, police later found her body in an open field, sparking public outrage and calls for justice.
Spox of the family said Ms Mongale’s body had been “brutally violated”. On Wednesday, a candlelight vigil took place in Lombardy West, at the site where her body was found.
