NELSPRUIT A 24-year-old woman and her 21-year-old brother were hitch-hiking on the R555 (Old Oggies Road) on Monday 25 November 2019, when they met with an atrocious experience which led the sister losing her life.

According to the reports, the two siblings, who are originally from Carolina, were coming back from a job interview in Gauteng on that hurtful day and the taxi they were traveling on, dropped them off at Witbank where they had to get another transport that would ferry them to Carolina.

Preliminary information suggests that a minibus came and offered them a lift. However, the two were surprised when the men who gave them the lift, produced firearms and started to rob them (victims) of their personal belongings as well as assaulting them. The suspects also took an opposite direction towards Gauteng rather than the direction to Carolina. According to information in the police disposal, the siblings were apparently forced out of the minibus in different spots but not far apart while it was still in motion. They were however spotted by a passer-by who immediately summoned for help.

The two were found in a critical stage and the medical personnel who attended to the scene, quickly took them to hospital for medical treatment.

Unfortunately the 24-year-old woman later died on that day in hospital and the brother survived. The Pathological services have already conducted a post-mortem which the results will indicate the cause of death as well as well as other violations.

Police are investigating a case of murder as well as attempted murder and in that regard, Lieutenant General Mondli Zuma the Provincial Commissioner of Mpumalanga, has in the meantime strongly condemn this heartless incident and indicated that the police are hard at work hunting down the suspects. On the same note, General Zuma has further urged anyone with vital information that may be relevant in the investigation, to contact the nearest police as soon as possible.

Source: South African Police Service