Thapelo Menwe was enjoying a stroll in the quaint Hatfield suburb in the wee hours of Saturday, 10 September 2022, when he crossed paths with a ruthless killer.
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Suspect arrested in Thapelo Menwe murder
In a statement released on Tuesday, the University of Pretoria confirmed “the death of one of our students in the early hours of Saturday morning in Hatfield, close to the Tuksdorp residence.”
“The suspect has been arrested. We strongly condemn the violence. Our thoughts and prayers are with the student’s friends and family, whom we are offering counseling,” the tertiary institution noted.
The identity of the man believed to be responsible for the death of Menwe remains unknown at this time. While Pretoria police have yet to release a statement on the incident, it’s believed the suspect murdered the student for his cellphone.
Moreover, as reported by Pretoria Rekord, the suspect tried to escape the crime scene in a getaway vehicle driven by an accomplice. However, police were quick to react, and the alleged robbers were taken down.
CCTV footage captures Menwe’s murder
Central to the murder investigation is the surveillance footage that captured Menwe’s fatal encounter with the armed suspect.
The CCTV footage has since surfaced on social media, showing the harrowing moment Menwe crossed paths with his killer. In the video, Menwe was seen walking on the sidewalk of a deserted but well-lit street.
It remains unclear if he was aware of the man trailing behind only a few feet away.
Menwe crossed the road, and before he could disappear out of frame, the man caught up and yanked the postgrad student’s t-shirt with his firearm raised.
Menwe’s killer had 24 seconds to change his mind about using his loaded firearm. Following a brief exchange of words, the unidentified man was seen raising his gun and releasing a single gunshot in Menwe’s torso.
The postgrad student immediately tumbled to the ground, and while he lay bleeding to death, the gunman emptied his pockets and made off with whatever he found.
Right before the CCTV footage cut off, a police van was seen apprehending the suspect as he attempted to flee the scene.
The suspect is due to appear at a Hatfield court on charges of murder and armed robbery.
