BLOEMFONTEIN – Two male suspects (aged 37 and 41) who were arrested in connection with the death of a Motheo TVET College student, Lerato Nkaki (29), are set to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrates’ Court on Monday 29 June. Sgt Sinah Mpakane, spokesperson for the Free State police, said on Thursday 25 June that the police arrested the pair in Roodepoort, Gauteng.

Police officers of the Parkweg Police Station arrested the pair after they went into hiding following the shooting of the deceased at a guesthouse in Botshabelo. The police circulated information about the men, known as Tsumbeza and Tenda. It emerged that they allegedly attempted to conceal evidence of the shooting which occurred while attending a post-funeral gathering in W-Section.

Mpakane said the two men face separate charges in connection with the murder of Nkaki, who succumbed to a gunshot wound she sustained.

“The 37-year-old will face charges of murder and defeating the ends of justice, while the 41-year-old will be charged with defeating the ends of justice only. Tsumbeza has been identified as a person who can provide police with information about the guesthouse shooting incident,” she said.

Mpakane said after an investigation revealed the cause of Nkaki’s death, the inquest docket was reclassified as murder and a search was launched for the two men. It was reported that on 18 May, the victim was with her boyfriend and another couple at a guesthouse in Botshabelo W-Section for an after-tears party held following a funeral they attended. “The boyfriend allegedly shot the victim. The suspects then cleaned the blood at the scene before taking her to the Botshabelo Hospital,” said Mpakane.

She said Nkaki was later transferred to the Pelonomi Hospital in Bloemfontein. “She was reportedly convinced by the suspects to discharge herself. They gave her money to buy painkillers, further telling her the wound would heal on its own. On 31 May, the victim succumbed to a gunshot wound to her leg,” said Mpakane.