A 42-year-old police sergeant, Nyiko Nyathi, has been arrested in connection with the kidnapping and brutal murder of her husband and his female friend in Mpumalanga, South Africa.
According to the provincial police spokesperson, the officer handed herself over to authorities.
“In February 2024, Lawrence Alba Mashego, 44, was reportedly attacked by a group of armed men at his house in Boikhutsong Trust in Bushbuckridge. The assailants robbed him of his Toyota Quantum and Ford Escort before kidnapping him,” the police said.
“The two vehicles were then used by the armed suspects to reach a house in Zoeknog, where they found Victoria Lebyane, 44, a female friend of Mashego, in possession of his bank cards.”
Lebyane was robbed of about R4,000 in cash, as well as additional bank cards belonging to Mashego. Both Mashego and Lebyane were later murdered by the assailants.
A police investigation led to the arrest of four suspects. One of them pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 77 years in prison.
As investigations intensified, police found evidence implicating Sergeant Nyathi in the murder of her husband and Lebyane.
Following her court appearance on Monday, the case was postponed to Wednesday for a formal bail application.
Meanwhile, the acting provincial police commissioner has welcomed Nyathi’s arrest, emphasizing that the law will take its course regardless of a suspect’s social status or position.