A man has been arrested for murder and rape in KwaZulu-Natal after his 14-year-old daughter went missing and her body was later found in a shallow grave.

According to reports, the girl went missing in the Mkhuze area on January 30. Two days later, the local chief reported this to the police after his children told him she had not attended school.

A case was opened at Mkhuze SAPS and investigations soon revealed that the girl’s father had allegedly assaulted her on the day she went missing.

The father was taken into custody and a search was launched between the houses in the area. Warrant Officer Nkosi (first name unknown) and his canine partner ‘Achil’ from the Vryheid K9 Unit found a shallow grave in the vicinity and a body was dug up.

The deceased was positively identified by family members.