/ 17 September 2007

Police say they’re closing in on serial killer

Police are confident that they are close to making a breakthrough in the case of the alleged KwaZulu-Natal South Coast serial killer who has strangled five women and left their bodies scattered in a sugarcane field. Police spokesperson Zandra Hechter said a key witness in the investigation had apparently sat next to the alleged killer on a minibus taxi.

Police are confident that they are close to making a breakthrough in the case of the alleged KwaZulu-Natal South Coast serial killer who has strangled five women and left their bodies scattered in a sugarcane field.

The Sowetan reported on Monday that because of the evidence of one woman — who nearly became a victim of the serial killer, but managed to escape — detectives were close to compiling an identikit of the killer.

Police spokesperson Zandra Hechter said a key witness in the investigation had apparently sat next to the alleged killer on a minibus taxi bound for Shayamoya.

”She fortunately did not meet him as they had planned. Instead she returned home. She has provided us with vital information.”

Hechter said she was confident that detectives would make a ”breakthrough” very soon.

She said a team of 30 detectives would continue to comb the sugarcane plantation at Shayamoya to make certain that there were no other bodies.

At this stage detectives had only identified one of the victim’s as 35-year-old Nombali Ngcobo from Inanda.

”I can confirm that we will later this week release the identity of the other victims. We are awaiting DNA and forensic results plus a confirmation of identity from the victims’ families,” said Hechter.

The serial killer’s victims’ were aged between 18 and 35 years. The killer apparently lured them to the area with promises of jobs and then raped and strangled them.

”Detectives are investigating the job link as they have discovered several CVs next to some of the decomposed bodies,” she said. – Sapa