Police have yet to link the suspect arrested over property belonging to murdered runner Elizabeth “Tsontso” Moselakgomo to her killing, and the immediate legal and investigative stakes now rest on a single question: whether a possession charge can open a path toward a murder case.
The South African Police Service confirmed the arrest in a statement, saying the suspect would probably face a charge of possession of stolen property. He is expected to appear in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 12 October. That appearance is expected to clarify the charge he faces and the next steps in the proceedings. The outcome, and any further evidence presented, have yet to be confirmed.
The distinction matters. While the reported recovery could provide investigators with a line of enquiry, it does not establish that the suspect was involved in Moselakgomo’s death. Police have not disclosed what the item is, how it was recovered or the circumstances that led to the arrest. It remains unclear whether the arrest has produced additional leads in the murder investigation.
Moselakgomo, 38, was murdered after leaving her home in Rhodesfield, Kempton Park, to go for a run in September. Her killing drew national attention amid investigations into the deaths of several women in Ekurhuleni, prompting the government to assemble a multidisciplinary team to investigate the killings and examine possible connections between the cases. Authorities have cautioned against assuming that all the deaths were committed by one perpetrator.
For investigators, the recovered item represents a potential evidentiary thread rather than a conclusion. Its significance is still being established, along with whether further evidence can tie the suspect to Moselakgomo’s death. The murder investigation itself is continuing, and police have not announced a murder charge against the suspect.
For now, the arrest stands as a development in the investigation, with the property-related enquiry carrying the weight of determining whether it helps police establish who was responsible for her death.