Man in dock for Yende murder

NO BAIL: UNION WELCOMES ARREST AFTER ESKOM VICTIM’S BODY WAS FOUND IN SUBSTATION

‘Pressure on utility to improve safety conditions for union members.’

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has welcomed the arrest of a suspect in the murder of Eskom employee Thembisile Yende.

David Ngwenya, 43, appeared at the Springs Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning charged with premeditated murder. Ngwenya was denied bail and is expected back in court on Friday. He was arrested in Carletonville last week.

Yende’s decomposing body was discovered last month locked inside one of the Eskom substation offices in Springs, Ekurhuleni. She had been reported missing for several days before her body was found.

Yende, 30, had last been seen when she went to her workplace in Springs on May 17.

A post-mortem confirmed she had been strangled. Yende’s family has been holding intermittent pickets outside the substation in the hopes that their questions about her mysterious death would be answered by the utility.

Numsa’s acting spokesperson, Phakamile Hlubi, said the union hoped this would be the first step in helping the Yende family to achieve a sense of justice over her murder.

“We hope this will result in a successful prosecution and that the courts will hand down a stiff sentence for this heinous crime,” Hlubi said.

“Numsa remains committed to supporting the family through this terrible ordeal.

“We will continue to keep up the pressure on Eskom to improve safety conditions for our members, particularly those who are forced to work in isolated places,” Hlubi said. – ANA

A post-mortem confirmed she had been strangled.