Evander SAPS nab third suspect in case where two men were allegedly murdered on a farm
Farmworker Elfast Hlatwayo (47) was arrested on March 21 and released on warning on April 5.
A third suspect in the case where two men were allegedly murdered on a farm in the Evander area appeared in the Evander Magistrate’s Court on April 11.
Elfast Hlatswayo (47), a farmworker, stood in the dock alongside farmers Abraham de la Rey (52) and Arthur Underhay (39) to face charges of murder, violating a corpse, defeating the course of justice and intimidation.
Hlatwayo was arrested on March 21 and released on warning on April 5.
Their arrests came after the disappearance of Sthembiso Mnikathi (33) and Buhlebuyeza Ximba (35), who were part of a group hunting on a farm in the Leandra area.
The families of Mnikathi and Ximba are still in the dark as to where the rest of their remains are. The police received a tip-off about alleged burnt bodies buried on a farm in the Evander area.
Investigating officer Sergeant Steven Tshehla testified during the bail hearing that the police were told the missing men had been run over, shot, their bodies burnt, and their remains disposed of somewhere in Delmas.
During cross-examination at that time, Tshehla told the court that tests on a “partial” brain to determine if it was a human were inconclusive.
The other remains referenced blood on the grass on the farm.
The DNA from this blood belonged to Mnikathi and Ximba. All three cases were postponed to April 25, while De la Rey and Underhay remain in custody.
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