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Information has come to light about another murder which recently took place in Bellville, one of two that have rocked the area in the past month.
The body of a man believed to be 39 years old was found on 8 February at around 11:00 in a shallow grave near the railway line in Groenvallei, Bellville, Capt Aubrey Morwenyane, spokesperson of the Bellville Police Sation has confirmed.
“The body that was already smelling was discovered by members of Transnet who were busy working,” Morwenyane says. “Investigation led to an arrest of one suspect. The suspect appeared in court briefly (last Monday) and was remanded in custody.”
Morwenyane says the motive is still unknown. “Bellville police condemn the recent killings and we will not leave any stone unturned (in solving them). In both cases suspects have been arrested and we will oppose bail.”
Protest
The body was discovered a day before the murder of an Uber driver, Bdirashiid Haji Mohamed, in Bellville’s CBD.
Mohamed’s body was discovered in Middle Street. He was stabbed multiple times. At the same time police were interviewing two men they’d seen changing a tyre on Tienie Meyer Street. When they approached the men, they noticed blood on the car. The men said the vehicle belonged to an Uber driver (supposedly Mohamed). The men saw the driver was stabbed and removed him from the vehicle before driving further.
Police arrested two men (20 and 22 years old), one a registered student at the University of the Western Cape, who have since appeared in court.
Numerous Somali nationals and Uber drivers reportedly protested outside the Bellville Magistrates’ Court last week
In reporting about the driver’s death, TygerBurger mistakenly said no murders had taken place in the past year, when in fact, no murders had taken place during this year.
In recent crime stats, released a few days ago, which compare crime statistics for the period between October and December 2023 to the same period in 2022, Bellville Police Station recorded a reduction in crime in most of the categories.
During this time, only one person was murdered, two fewer than in the same period the year before.
Morwenyane points out that house breaking and theft both declined.
Robberies remain a challenge. “Especially in the CBD and lower Oakdale.”
He says the police are making continous arrests for possession of dangerous weapons and possession of braking-in implements to prevent these type of crimes.
