A 35-year-old man is expected to appear in the Durban Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday in connection with the murder of trainee pilot Iman Tshakeni.
The 20-year-old student's body was discovered on July 16, 2024, in a sugar cane bush in Canelands on the KZN North Coast, just days after she was reported missing.
KZN police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said that Verulam police are investigating a murder case following the discovery of a woman's body with what appeared to be assault injuries.
“She has been identified as a woman that was reported missing at Sydenham SAPS on July 12, 2024,” said Ngcobo.
According to Prem Balram from Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA), the victim was identified within hours by a family member from the Eastern Cape, who had been unsuccessfully trying to reach her by phone for several days.
A farmer made the gruesome discovery and alerted RUSA, who dispatched a team to the scene, where they found the woman's body.
“Upon closer inspection, officers found her lying face up with her hands bound. She was attired in a short black night dress.”
He said according to her family, Tshakeni was a trainee fixed wing pilot at Virginia Airport in KZN.
Balram said the arrests were made by detective from SAPS and two vehicles allegedly used in the commission of the crime were seized.
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