Man in court for killing girlfriend then burying her in backyard
He was arrested on Thursday after he turned himself in and confessed to committing the gruesome act.
A Hammanskraal man charged with killing his girlfriend, burning her and burying her remains in his backyard has appeared in Moretele Magistrate’s Court.
Thabo James Dube (38) of Trustfarm in Stinkwater was arrested on Thursday after he turned himself in to the police and confessed to committing the gruesome act on 6 October last year.
He appeared in Hammanskraal court on Monday.
Police spokesperson Captain Kay Makhubela said the man turned himself over to the Temba police on Thursday and confessed to the murder and concealment of death.
Also read: Mamelodi man gets 8 years for murder
“The man confessed to police he had a fight with his girlfriend, struck her with an object and that she collapsed and died. He then burnt her body and buried it in the backyard,” explained Makhubela.
His case has been postponed to 30 January.
Twenty days after the killing, on 26 October, the man went to the Temba police station to report the woman missing.
“Since then police have been investigating,” he said.
Also read: 2016 – A year of trauma and murder
As investigations continued, police received information that the woman was not missing, but dead.
“Police went to the man’s house but did not find him. Later, he heard from his neighbours that the police had come looking for him, he then turned himself in and confessed,” said Makhubela.
The man took the police to the house and pointed out a spot in the backyard where he had buried her body.
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