BEREA police arrested a man on Thursday morning belived to be a suspect in the brutal murder of a homeless woman who was found in a vacant piece of land at the corner of Florida and Musgrave road opposite Jameson Park last month.
The woman was hit on the head with a blunt object and her genitalia had been mutilated with the neck of a broken bottle. The murder shocked the community who described her as a quiet homeless woman who was “totally harmless”. An active member of the community, Patrick Coetzee placed a white wooden cross and others community members placed flower tributes to the woman at the scene of the murder.
According to Lieutenant PN Naidoo, spokesman of Berea SAPS, detectives had been following leads day and night to find the suspect who had fled the Morningside area. “Investigating officer Constable WS Bunting followed up on information given by an informer and an associate of the deceased female was arrested on Thursday,” he said.
The foreign national, who is approximately 35 years old and believed to have been a companion to the homeless woman, was found at Durban Station where he was arrested.
“He will be in custody and forensic evidence will confirm whether he is involved in the murder,” Naidoo added.
