A woman has been arrested in connection with the kidnapping and murder case of four-year-old Keeya Mbulawa. The woman’s age has not been revealed yet.

She is due to appear in the Protea Magistrate’s Court tomorrow, after she was arrested in Protea Glen, a township of Johannesburg, yesterday after community members spotted her in the same area.

“The suspect was spotted by the community members while walking in the streets of Protea Glen and police were alerted. She was then arrested,” comments Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo in a statement today.

According to the family, the child was last seen playing with other children in the yard.

When her mother, Nolukhanya, realised her daughter had gone missing, the family frantically searched for the child.

A search led to the discovery of the unconscious body tucked in a pink traveling suitcase with a cloth in her mouth, and her hands and feet tied up. It was also discovered that a black cable tie was around her neck.

Mbulawa died after four days in ICU.

Family spokesperson advocate Miller Moela reacted to the news of the arrest.

“The families of Serongwane and Mbulawa are happy that the suspect has been arrested. The families would like to express their gratitude to South Africans at large and to the residents of Protea in particular. The latter assisted in the identification and arrest of the suspect,” Moela says.

The suspect will appear on charges of kidnapping and murder.