KEY POINTS
- Two suspects arrested in connection with Soshanguve murders and robberies.
- Police recover unlicensed firearms with filed-off serial numbers.
- Authorities suspect up to five individuals may be involved.
Two suspects have been taken into custody by South African police in relation to many murders and attempted murders that occurred in the Marry Me informal settlement in Soshanguve on March 22. On March 24, officers got information about the suspects’ suspected involvement in the offenses, according to the South African Police Service.
Two suspects arrested in connection with Soshanguve murders.
The 27 and 50-year-old suspects are also connected to other February 21 homicides and home invasions.
Law authorities located the first suspect after receiving a tip at Soshanguve Extension 20, where they found an unlicensed 9mm Girsan gun and ammunition. The gun’s serial number was filed off.
The second suspect was later captured by police at a home in Soshanguve Extension 6, where they also discovered an unregistered 9mm CZ gun and ammunition. Additionally, this weapon’s serial number was filed off.
Sixth victim dies following violent confrontation in Soshanguve.
According to The SouthAfrican news, The suspects are thought to be connected to a violent altercation that claimed multiple lives, according to Daily Maverick. Four people were killed at first, and eight more were injured. A fifth person passed away in the hospital over the weekend, according to medical professionals, and a sixth person passed away while undergoing treatment on Tuesday morning, according to KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety, and Liaison Sipho Mchunu.
In line with early assumptions, authorities confirmed that one suspect had been taken into custody close to the crime scene. “At this point, we know that officers arrested one person just around here, as we suspected,” Mchunu said.
Additionally, he explained that investigators finally identified one of the perpetrators as a Zimbabwean national after initially thinking they were from the Marry Me area.
Police searched for further suspects for 72 hours after the killings. Investigators are still looking for additional suspects and believe up to five people may have been involved.
On Wednesday, March 26, 2025, both suspects are expected to appear in Pretoria North Magistrates’ Court on counts of murder, attempted murder, and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition. Ballistic testing will be performed on the confiscated weapons to ascertain whether they were utilized in any other Gauteng crimes.
