UPDATE: Lonehill murder suspect arrested
LONEHILL - After several weeks of intensive investigation, the Douglasdale police have arrested a suspect thought to be involved in a Lonehill murder, that occurred on 12 October.
Update: 24 November 2016 at 3pm
More details have emerged about the murder of a Lonehill woman, allegedly by a domestic worker for the family, after the suspect was arrested at Florida Lake on 20 November.
According to the Netwerk24 website, Wilma van Tonder was stabbed to death in her home, allegedly by Norma Mudondo, who is believed to have been a domestic worker for the family, in front of Wilma’s five-year-old son who was then left alone with her body for hours.
The article, which quoted Wilma’s brother Wilkus du Toit, said that after witnessing his mother’s murder, the boy then asked the attacker if she was going to kill him as well. The killer fled the scene and the boy was left with his mother’s body for hours until his father, Mario van Tonder, arrived back at the house.
It also said that when the couple’s older son had not been picked up from school by 3pm that afternoon, someone called Mario, who rushed home to discover his wife’s body. The children are currently staying with their grandmother, who lives near the family’s home.
“One sees things like this in the movies, but this was a fit of rage and it was terrifying,” Du Toit is quoted to have said.
The article claimed that, according to an unnamed source close to the Hawks investigation, Mudondo fled to KwaZulu-Natal for a few weeks before she returned to Johannesburg.
It carried on, saying that according to the source, “We heard she was back in Johannesburg and was planning to hold a party at Florida Lake. Together with the Hawks, we set up a task team to arrest her. That’s when we got her.”
She made a brief appearance at Randburg Magistrates’ Court on 22 November, where bail was denied. She will next appear in court on 27 January.
Wednesday, 23 November would have been Wilma van Tonder’s 43rd birthday. Her friends and family arranged a sit-down meal to mark the occasion and share memories of their loved one.
Douglasdale Police Station’s communications officer, Captain Mpho Kgasoane stated that only one of the children witnessed the murder of their mother at their home.
Initial Story: 21 November 2016
Chairperson of the Douglasdale Community Policing Forum, Advocate Jean Berdou told the Fourways Review that the suspect was arrested late on 20 November, at Florida Lake.
” After weeks of detailed and intensive investigation, police made the arrested yesterday afternoon. Once further interviews have been conducted, more information will be released,” Berdou said.
Read also:What the law says about employing a domestic worker
Fourways Review had previously reported on the murder of a woman in Lonehill, who was stabbed to death, allegedly by her domestic worker, after an altercation. The woman’s two children, aged four and nine, who had witnessed the brutal murder, were being looked after the Gauteng Department of Social Development at the time.
Police launched a massive manhunt for the suspect, who fled the scene after the incident.
“On behalf of the community, we would like to congratulate the Douglasdale Police Station Commander Brigadier Lettie Hugo and her team for a job well done,” Berdou said..
Read also:What the law says about employing a domestic worker
Berdou wanted to reassure the community that no stone was left unturned during the police investigation and the safety of the community and justice were paramount throughout.
The suspect will appear in court of murder charges soon.
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