A 43-year-old man made a brief appearance in the Albert Luthuli Magistrate's Court on Thursday in Mpumalanga on a charge of murder.
The suspect is being charged with the alleged murder of his 26-year-old girlfriend in 2019.
The provincial police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala said the man was arrested on Tuesday, August 15 at about 9pm.
Mohlala said detectives from the Mayflower policing precinct were conducting investigations into sexual offence cases when they stumbled upon information regarding a person of interest.
Further probing led officers to a house in Mayflower, and while busy investigating, more details emerged about a particular individual belonging to the family.
“It was outlined that he was on the run from the police, hitchhiking to Witbank. Members managed to get him before he got away. In fact, he was offered a lift by the members, and along the way, he learnt that the people who gave him a lift were actually police officials.
"On further questioning as to why he was running away, it was then discovered that he was allegedly involved in the murder of his girlfriend back in June 2019," Mohlala said.
Further investigations into the matter revealed the suspect and his girlfriend were reportedly having an argument, which led to a fight and ultimately led to her alleged murder at the hands of her boyfriend.
"During the time of the incident, the 26-year-old woman was reported missing by her family at the Mayflower police station.
"In December 2020, a discovery of the remains of an unknown person was made in Mayflower, however, it was unknown at the time that the remains were for the woman in question, whose family has been looking for her for a while," Mohlala said.
He said DNA samples from family members will be collected, and forensic tests will be conducted as part of the investigation.
Police said more charges in relation to the murder could be added as the investigation continues.
The Free State Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela, lauded the officers for the arrest.
"The toiling and dedication by the detectives have helped in bringing everything into perspective regarding the victim's ordeal. Though her life will never be brought back, at least her family will finally find closure. We hope that justice will be served for the slain woman. Gender-based violence remains a serious challenge in society; however, there is hope, especially with the dedicated members of the police that work hard to fight the scourge," Manamela said.