Man who allegedly raped and murdered a five-year-old girl has been arrested

A 24-year-old man has finally been arrested in connection with the horrific rape and murder of a five-year-old girl in 2019 in the Eastern Cape.

THE BRUTAL MURDER TOOK PLACE IN 2019

Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the badly battered and bruised body of Chantelle Makwena was found by her father in a toilet in Withoogte. She was half-naked and sustained serious head and facial injuries.

“On Saturday, 31 July 2021, police received the forensic report linking the man to the murder and rape of the child. He was immediately arrested at Blozo location in Rocklands.”

Naidu said on 2 August 2019 at about 19:00, Veronica Makwena (23) and her sister (34) left their children at their home in Withoogte in Rocklands with the man, his girlfriend, and the girlfriend’s brother. They went to visit a friend in the same vicinity.

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“When the two women returned at 22:00, the same night, they found the front door opened, and neither of the adults was there. Chantelle Makwena was not in her bed, and Veronica Makwena went to the neighbour’s house to see if she was there. She was not there as well.

“The mother thought that perhaps Chantelle might have gone to her father’s house, which is on another farm, and decided to go and look for her there in the morning.”

She said the mother went to search for the child the next morning and found that she was neither at her grandmother’s or father’s place.

“An intensive search began for the missing child. At about 14:55, the father, Justin Manele (29), found the badly battered and bruised body of Chantelle in a toilet near the house in Withoogte. She was half-naked and sustained serious head and facial injuries.”

THE MAN WAS ASSAULTED BY THE COMMUNITY

On the same day, the community caught the man and assaulted him.

Police attended to a complaint of mob justice and managed to take the suspect away for his own safety.

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“At the time, the man was not charged for the murder and rape but DNA was taken and sent to the Laboratory for analysis.”

Naidu said the man would appear in the Gqeberha Magistrate’s court on Monday, 2 August 2021 for murder and rape, as well as for another rape case that occurred in November 2018.

“The man was released for the latter rape on bail, and after some court appearances, he failed to appear in court. A warrant for his arrest was issued. However, he evaded police arrest several times.”