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A 48-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the brutal murder of 20-year-old Asenathi Mve, whose body was discovered in the bushy outskirts of Bhekela Village, Ncera, on Tuesday.
According to the Daily Dispatch, Mve had gone missing on Sunday night after reportedly spending the evening with friends. Her disappearance was reported to police on Monday when she failed to return home. A search led to the discovery of her lifeless body the following day, covered with a black jacket and bearing visible upper-body injuries.
Anathi Mve, the victim’s older sister, confirmed that one of the friends who was walking with Asenathi witnessed an unknown man approach them with a sharp object before dragging her into the nearby bushes. Out of fear, the friend ran for help and returned with another person. Upon finding Asenathi crying and calling for help, they were allegedly too afraid to intervene.
Working with the local community, police traced and arrested the suspect in the same village on Wednesday. He was officially charged with murder on Thursday and is expected to appear in the East London Magistrate’s Court on Friday.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Siphokazi Mawisa said:
“The SAPS in the Eastern Cape is prioritising the fight against gender-based violence and ensures that those who commit such gruesome murders are held accountable and face the full might of the law.”
The arrest has brought some measure of relief to the grieving Mve family and the Ncera community, who have been left reeling by the young woman’s tragic and violent death.
Pondoland Times will continue to follow the story as it develops.
