Online Reporter
JOHANNESBURG. —Police have confirmed that the man arrested alongside two women in connection with the murder of Dawn Park victim Jabulile Ntimba has not been charged.
The man, who was taken in for questioning, has since been released.
Ntimba is the ninth woman to be found dead in a string of killings that has sent shockwaves through communities across Ekurhuleni.
Fortunate Masilela and Tsakane Nester Msithini made a first appearance in the Boksburg Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
They face charges of premeditated murder and defeating the ends of justice. The duo have been remanded in custody and are expected to apply for bail on October 1.
As they face a Schedule 6 offence, the accused will have to provide the court with exceptional circumstances that they should be released on bail. Ntimba’s body was discovered by a passer-by in an open area on Lama Street in Villa Lisa on September 17.
She had been severely assaulted, and her throat had been slit.
In court yesterday, the magistrate ruled that only audio recordings of the court proceedings would be permitted.
No photographs or video footage of the accused or presiding officers would be allowed.
Inside court, family members of the accused were seen handing them newspapers to cover their faces after the ruling. Police have alleged that Ntimba’s murder may have stemmed from a love triangle.
Addressing the media outside the court, Deputy National Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Tebello Mosikili confirmed that the third suspect had not been enrolled in the case.
Mosikili said the third suspect was still being investigated and that police were following up on possible links to the murder.
She said an identity parade would be conducted if required, while further information could also lead investigators to other possible suspects.
Mosikili said the investigation was being conducted in consultation with the prosecution as part of a guided investigation. She added that investigators were continuing with follow-ups, exploring possible links and conducting identity parades where necessary. —IOL
