The Hillary Gardee murder case took a new twist this week when a man suspected of being a serial killer, luring women on social media and dating sites before robbing them and killing them on the first date, was arrested as the fourth suspect in the case.
The 36-year-old man, who can’t be named until he appears in court on Monday, was arrested in Kwa-Thema, Springs on Thursday in connection with the murder of another woman, found dumped in a farm dam in Sandra near Delmas on Sunday.
It is alleged that the 27-year-old woman, who works for one of the international oil and gas companies, met the suspect, who called himself Richard Mokoena on Facebook and agreed to have a date with him last Saturday.
The suspect allegedly strangled her and threw her in the dam before driving off in her car.
The woman was found alive on Sunday morning and allegedly told a story of what happened to her before she passed away hours later.
When the suspect was arrested on Thursday, the police discovered there was a warrant for his arrest for allegedly killing two women in Mpumalanga, one of them a police officer, earlier this year.
It is also believed that he was released on parole for another murder case in January this year.
But it was only when the police investigating Gardee’s murder saw his photo that they realised that he matched a profile of a suspect who was caught on camera withdrawing money from an ATM in Sabie, using Gardee’s card.
They also placed his cellphone movement near the tower where Gardee’s body was dumped.
Sources within the police told Sunday Independent that when he was confronted with the evidence, he allegedly admitted killing Gardee and dumping her body in the bush.
“He claims that he met Hillary on Facebook and started ‘dating’ her.
“He arranged to meet with her for the first time because she had told him that her IT company was paid a lot of money for a job they have done for one of their clients,” a senior police officer, who asked not to be named because he isn’t allowed to speak to the media, has alleged while speaking to the newspaper yesterday.
The suspect allegedly confessed to the police for the Sandra murder and the killing of Gardee.
“The suspect said he acted alone in both killings,” another police officer, who asked not to be named, said.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Brigadier Selvy Mohlala, on Saturday confirmed that a fourth suspect was arrested for the Gardee murder but refused to elaborate how he is linked to the case.
“I can confirm that we have arrested a fourth suspect linked to the Hillary case and that he is also implicated in other murder cases including the shooting and killing of two sisters from KaNyamazane, one of whom was a police officer.”
The latest arrest comes after police initially arrested three men and accused them of killing Gardee.
And the National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson (NPA) in Mpumalanga, Monica Nyuswa, yesterday said they are continuing with their case with the three men who were initially arrested for Gardee’s murder.
“Bail hearing in respect of accused 2 and 3 will proceed on Tuesday 16 August and the indictment will be served on them on 22 August,” she said.
The murder of Gardee -daughter of former EFF secretary-general Godrich Gardee was kidnapped, raped and killed in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, on April 29 – has had some twists and turns since her body was found on May 3, dumped in a plantation about 60km outside Nelspruit.
The twists include a scathing attack on eSwatini’s King Mswati III launched by Godrich Gardee
in a series of posts on Twitter alleging that Mswati was involved in Hillary’s murder in what he believed was in retaliation for the EFF’s protest at the border posts on April 12.
Mswati has strongly denied the allegations.
During an address at the eSwatini National Police day in Matsapha on August 5, Mswati said he had heard Gardee’s ‘alarming’ allegations.
“One of Malema’s henchmen is going around claiming that I sent agents to do certain things that are not good in his life.
“What is concerning is the question of whether this evidence is part of the court’s proceedings.
“We must never interfere with court proceedings and in doing so, he is in contempt of court. As this person has lost his child, one wonders what the intention of the agenda is which has not been presented before the court,” he said.
Mswati further lamented the media for reporting on the tweet without verifying with the necessary law enforcement agencies handling the matter.
“I have been disturbed by the media just following tweets and not seeking the truth. Did they ask the prosecutor handling the matter regarding the veracity of what they were seeing on Twitter?
“True journalists don’t go on rumours but they verify the information they have,” he said.
Earlier in the investigation another eSwatini connection was established when it turned out that one of the three men who were first arrested for the murder is Philemon Lukhele, an eSwatini national exiled in South Africa.
Lukhele was arrested with Sipho Mkhatshwa, who was reportedly born in eSwatini but adopted by a South African family, and Albert Gama, who is said to be an eSwatini national and undocumented in South Africa.
The trio were arrested after Mkhatshwa allegedly went to a sangoma for cleansing but refused to pay for the services.
Police sources claim that Mkhatshwa allegedly offered one of the children from his fiancée’s previous marriage, who was born with albinism, as payment for the service.
However, the sangoma said he wanted money.
After Mkhatshwa failed to pay, the sangoma allegedly tipped off the police.
