Elderly woman killed by ax-wielding man

Cops swoop to arrest four suspected hijackers

DUTYWA police are on the hunt for a man who killed an elderly woman at her home at Mabheleni Locality, Candu Village, on Thursday night.

Police also arrested four suspects in Mthatha on Thursday in connection with the hijacking and theft of four vehicles – two Toyota Quantums, a BMW and a MercedesBenz ML.

SAPS Butterworth spokesman Captain Jackson Manatha said Silvia Thandiwe Dyasi, 85, was murdered in front of her relative after the killer, who was wearing a balaclava and armed with an axe, hacked her and then ran away.

The incident happened at 8.15pm.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Dutywa police on (047) 489-1333 or Crime Stop at 08600-10111

In a raid, police found 48 dagga plants and loose dagga worth R1 500 at a 29-year-old man’s home in Mtebhele Village, in Nqamakhwe.

The man will be appear in the Ngqamakhwe Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

Provincial police spokesman Captain Khaya Tonjeni said the carjacking suspects, aged between 21 and 34, were arrested and positively linked to recent cases, and were due to appear in court soon.

Tonjeni said: “The Eastern Cape SAPS’s unceasing efforts to curb the scourge of trio crimes received a desirable boost when four suspects were arrested and three vehicles recovered. The Mthatha SAPS Vehicle Crime Investigating Unit followed up on positive information after four vehicles were reported stolen between January 10-14.”

He said the Quantum and BMW were recovered at Mandela Park in Mthatha West, along the R61 towards Ngcobo, while the MercedesBenz ML was found at Silverton (KwaSitwayi) village near Ngangelizwe, Mthatha, early on Thursday.

“One of the Quantums was found stripped of its parts at Langeni Forest, outside Mthatha, and all the parts were found at Mandela Park hidden inside a tavern.

“The second Quantum was found still intact parked at Mandela Park and it was allegedly used to convey the parts of the stripped one,” he said.

“The investigation will also try to determine whether these four are operating independently or as a syndicate, and their profiles will be matched to determine whether they were previously involved in other incidents of this nature.”

Tonjeni said the two Quantums were reported hijacked in East London, in some of the first reported cases, while the BMW and Mercedes Benz ML were hijacked and stolen in Mthatha.

Tonjeni said there could be more arrests.

Eastern Cape provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Liziwe Ntshinga congratulated the members for their diligent and swift work recovering the vehicles.

“We must put more emphasis on eradicating crimes like murder, robbery and hijacking of vehicles in our effort to rid our province of all crimes,” said Ntshinga.

● In 2016, three imported luxury MercedesBenz vehicles were stolen from the East London harbour by thieves posing as employees of a vehicle logistics company.

An E-400 coupé valued at R911 748 was recovered inside a shack in an Mthatha informal settlement.

The other two cars were found in Butterworth and Durban’s Umlazi township after a team of police detectives and private investigators worked around the clock. —