Police offered a R50 000 reward on Wednesday for information leading to the arrest of William Nkuna, accused of the murder of missing police Constable Francis Rasuge.
”The public are urged to come forward with any information which could lead to Mr Nkuna’s arrest. A reward of R50 000 has been approved for such information,” said Senior Superintendent Pieter du Plessis of the North West police.
Nkuna’s trial was supposed to have started on Monday at the Mmabatho Circuit Court sitting in Ga-Rankuwa, but he failed to arrive. He sent a relative instead to read a letter claiming a medical doctor had recommended he be admitted to an institution for treatment of post-traumatic stress.
The defence on Monday doubted the authenticity of the letter and the court issued a warrant for Nkuna’s arrest. Police have been searching for him since then.
Du Plessis said the trial has been postponed indefinitely until Nkuna can be arrested.
The Sowetan newspaper on Tuesday reported that as the warrant was being issued for his arrest, Nkuna was being interviewed on Radio 702 claiming that he missed Rasuge and could not be sure if she was alive.
Nkuna has been out on warning since his last appearance at the court on May 23 this year.
Nkuna and Phineas Kutumela, a traditional healer, were arrested in August last year after Rasuge, who was reportedly Nkuna’s girlfriend at the time, went missing.
Rasuge went missing in August and was last seen alive in the company of Nkuna at a hairdressing salon in Themba.
Although her body has not been found, police presume her dead.
Nkuna and Kutumela appeared in the Moretele Magistrate’s Court in Themba several times, charged with her kidnapping.
They were also kept in custody for almost seven months.
Earlier this year, the court struck the case from the roll when the state wanted another postponement.
Soon after his release, Nkuna was again arrested, this time for alleged vehicle fraud committed in March last year.
He appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on March 23 this year and was released on bail of R5 000 in the fraud case.
Two days later, on March 25, he was again arrested after a warrant was issued against him for Rasuge’s murder.
This warrant of arrest was declared null and void in the Moretele Magistrate’s Court, and Nkuna was released on warning. — Sapa