A 41-year-old South African man, James Mohajane, who was wanted in connection with the alleged m8rders of three people, including his girlfriend, has been arrested after members of the community handed him over to police less than 12 hours after his photograph was circulated.
Police say the three were last seen together at Molekwa’s house. Their bodies were found there on Sunday morning,” August 23, wpwy. They had allegedly been hacked with a spade. Mohajane was not at the scene when police arrived, but his cellphone was found
The police had earlier launched a manhunt for the suspect.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe confirmed that at approximately 9:30am on Thursday, August 27, 2026, members of the Moeka Vuma community handed Mohajane over to police.
Mathe said Mohajane was the subject of an intensive manhunt after he was identified as the alleged perpetrator in the m8rders of his girlfriend, Moipone Lefoka, her sister, Esther Lefoka, and Esther’s boyfriend, Tshepo Molekwa.
“The three victims were allegedly hacked to d3ath with a spade at a house in Moeka Vuma near Makapanstad in the North West over the weekend,” he said
“Less than 12 hours after SAPS issued a public alert and circulated Mohajane’s photograph, the community of Moeka Vuma stood up and played a critical role in bringing the suspect to police.”
Mathe previously said Mohajane was nowhere to be found when police arrived at the scene.
“His cellphone was, however, found at the crime scene.”
Meanwhile, acting National Commissioner of the South African Police Service (SAPS), Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, expressed her appreciation to communities across the country, including the media and social media users, for their assistance in the swift apprehension of Mohajane.
Dimpane commended the community for its vigilance and cooperation, emphasising that community participation remains a critical component in preventing and solving serious and violent crimes.
“Once again, our communities have demonstrated that they are an important partner in the fight against crime.”
“The swift response by the community of Moeka Vuma, together with the assistance of the media and social media users who shared the suspect’s photograph, has contributed significantly to bringing this wanted suspect into police custody. We thank everyone who played a role,” said Dimpane.
“Just last week, members of the community in Klerksdorp assisted police in apprehending a wanted boyfriend who had been on the run after allegedly killing his girlfriend in a backroom in Soweto.”
Dimpane commended the investigators and police members involved for working tirelessly to ensure that wanted suspects are brought to justice.
