A 43-year-old woman is scheduled to appear in the Rustenburg Magistrates’ Court on Monday on charges of murder and defeating the ends of justice after human remains believed to be those of her 20-year-old daughter were exhumed from the family yard, police said.
The suspect was arrested Thursday by Boitekong police at her home in Seraleng, near Rustenburg, according to a statement from Col. Adéle Myburgh, a spokeswoman for the South African Police Service in North West.
A concerned family member became suspicious after not seeing the accused’s daughter for several months. Upon questioning the mother, she indicated that her daughter was visiting her father’s relatives in Limpopo Province. The father was called, but he denied the accused’s version.
Police searching the property discovered a concrete slab covering a suspicious area in the yard, prompting an exhumation that uncovered the remains, the statement said. The woman was arrested immediately.
The Acting Provincial Commissioner of the North West, Maj. Gen. (Dr.) Ryno Naidoo, welcomed the arrest. He commended the family member who reported the incident and encouraged members of the community to continue to collaborate with the police to address crime.