A man was arrested in East London for allegedly murdering and dismembering his girlfriend, after police found her body parts stuffed in a suitcase and plastic bags.
The woman, 23, was reportedly a law student at the University of Fort Hare, said police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana.
He said crime prevention members were patrolling Fitzpatrick Road on Thursday morning when they were informed by a motorist that a body had been found in a suitcase in Quigney.
Police then went to Fleet Street and Fitzpatrick Road and found the suitcase with the woman’s body in it.
A black bag with other body parts lay next to the bag, said Kinana.
“Whilst at the scene, police received information that a 25-year-old suspect believed to be linked to the murder was found and immediately arrested by intelligence,” Kinana said, adding:
On further investigation which led the police to the house where the two lived, a plastic bag with other parts of the body was also discovered.
Kinana said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect and the deceased were in a relationship and lived together for some time.
Provincial commissioner, Lieutenant-General Liziwe Ntshinga said: “This is one of the devastating scenes women do not want to see during this Women’s Month. The incident represents a manifestation of the stubbornness of Gender Based Violence and Femicide incidents which are endemic within our society.”
The suspect was due to appear in the East London Magistrate’s Court on Friday and would be charged with murder.
