KZN police nab suspect for murder and rape of pregnant woman found on cliff

A 38-year-old man has been arrested for the rape and murder of a seven months pregnant woman, KwaZulu-Natal police said on Saturday.

“The 38-year-old man is in custody for two counts of murder and rape. He will appear in the Vryheid magistrate's court soon,” police spokesperson Capt Nqobile Gwala said.

Police said the body of Zilandile Xulu, 34, was found on a cliff on Monday, three days after she disappeared. Her disappearance was not reported to the police.

“The deceased was allegedly strangled to death, stabbed and raped. A case was opened at Hlobane police station for investigation,” Gwala said.

The police investigation revealed that the deceased was killed in her bedroom, dragged out of the house and thrown down the cliff.

Among her injuries were a broken neck and stab wounds to the stomach.

“The persistence by Hlobane detectives to solve the case led to the arrest of the suspect on Friday night after an exhaustive operation with the Vryheid K9 Unit. The suspect had fled his home and hid in a dense mountainous forest, in an attempt to evade arrest.”

KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Khombinkosi Jula welcomed the arrest and commended the team that worked about the clock to nab the suspect.