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Pietermaritzburg - The mystery surrounding the burnt and mangled body found in the bush in the France township earlier this month has been solved.
Police have arrested three suspects for the murder of Thembelihle Mbete, a 17-year-old girl from the township.
The suspects, a girl, 15, who is believed to be a relative of the deceased, a boy, 16, and a man, 22 were taken to the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court yesterday, where Pietermaritzburg police spokesperson Mthokozisi Ngobese said they all pleaded guilty to Mbete’s murder.
Ngobese said Alexandra detectives have been working tirelessly to solve the mystery surrounding Thembelihle’s death since her body was found by the K9 unit on June 11. They had a breakthrough on Friday last week when community members led detectives to arrest the three suspects.
Ngobese said the female suspect is allegedly one of Thembelihle’s relatives and they lived together. “The female accused and one of the male accused were in a relationship.
“The third person accused of Mbete’s murder is believed to be the boyfriend’s friend,” Ngobese said.
A quarrel between Thembelihle and her female relative allegedly led to Thembelihle’s murder being plotted by the 15-year-old girl, who allegedly instigated her boyfriend and his friend to kill Thembelihle.
Ngobese said the three attacked her on June 5, allegedly hitting her numerous times with a large plank on the chest and beating her with rocks before strangling her to death.
It is believed that the three then moved her body to a large field where they covered it with blankets, drenched it with paraffin and set it alight.
A France resident discovered the body after he found his dogs fighting over a burnt arm and a few other human bones in his back yard.
Police dogs sniffed out the grizzly remains of Thembelihle’s body. The body was not intact, and police believed dogs or other animals may have torn it apart.
