Man arrested after exhuming girlfriend's body, delivering remains to family

A 29-year-old man from Libode allegedly strangled his girlfriend and buried her in a forest before later returning her body.

A 29-year-old man has been arrested in Rainy village, Libode, Eastern Cape, after allegedly strangling his 26-year-old girlfriend to death and burying her body in a shallow grave in a nearby forest.²

Police were informed of the murder at approximately 1am on Saturday.¹ The victim, identified as Fikiswa Madolwana, had disappeared the day before.¹² According to police spokesperson Welile Matyolo, the suspect was the last person seen with Madolwana.¹

After Madolwana's disappearance, concerned relatives contacted the suspect by phone.¹ Police said the suspect then exhumed the body from the forest, loaded it into a wheelbarrow, and transported it to the family before officers arrived.¹² The man subsequently confessed to the killing and pointed police to the burial site.¹²

Madolwana's mother, Nolusapho Nomsobo, said she was unaware her daughter had been cohabiting with the suspect.² "I am very devastated to learn that Fikiswa is no more," Nomsobo said, adding that her daughter left behind two children in her care.² "I am asking myself why my daughter was killed in this brutal manner."²

The deceased's grandmother, Masukude Mlatha, called for justice and expressed concern about the welfare of the two children left behind.²

The suspect will stand trial on a charge of murder.¹ Police in KuGompo City confirmed the incident as gender-based violence.²

Conflicting reports gave the suspect's age as either 28 or 29, and the victim's age as either 26 or 29.¹²