4 in court after gruesome Middelburg murder
Charges of murder, defeating the ends of justice and violation of a corpse have been laid against four men accused of killing a man and burning his body.
‘Heart-wrenching and senseless’ is how Vosman police describe the murder of Danie Maritz (25), who was murdered in Middelburg before being taken to Clewer where his body was set alight inside a vehicle.
Vosman SAPS spokesperson Captain Lizzy Hlathi says four suspects appeared in the Middelburg Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning, facing charges of murder, defeating the ends of justice and violation of a corpse.
The suspects, aged between 25 and 44, were arrested last Thursday.
Their arrests followed the discovery of Maritz’s charred body in the boot of a vehicle. The body was burnt beyond recognition.
The events that unfolded from the time the murder was committed to when the suspects were apprehended read like a horror story out of a Stephen King book.
The man was murdered in Middelburg and the suspects allegedly transported the body to Clewer where the vehicle with the body in it was set alight.
Local news | Four in court, one suspect on the run
Read more here: https://t.co/XEfVPSKlPP#clewer#emalahleni#witbanknews— WitbankNews (@WitbankN) November 20, 2023
The vehicle allegedly belongs the one of the suspects.
Last Thursday, at around 07:30, a security guard took police to the burnt-out vehicle near Umlalazi Mine.
“Police discovered the remains of the man in the boot of the car,” Hlathi says.
They were still busy with their investigation later that day when a tow truck driver wanted to tow the burnt vehicle away and was refused permission by police.
This led the police to further investigate and three people were called in for questioning at about 18:00.
“It was further discovered that the same individuals opened a theft of motor vehicle case at Witbank Police Station and were redirected to Vosman as the scene of crime falls within our boundaries,” Hlathi says.
All the pieces just did not add up and police intensified their questioning, adds Hlathi.
“Police concluded that the suspects were allegedly trying to conceal the murder by removing the vehicle and the body from the scene.
“The sequence of events compelled police to add additional charges of defeating the ends of justice and violation of a corpse. It is believed that there is a fifth suspect still on the run,” Hlathi says.
Read original story on www.citizen.co.za
