As a suspect made his first court appearance on Friday, police announced a breakthrough in the case of the murdered Stellenbosch University student with the arrest of three more people.
Nineteen-year-old Jesse Mitchell, who is from Centurion in Gauteng, was stabbed to death in the early hours of Wednesday morning around 1.30am.
He had been stabbed in the neck, and his bicycle and belongings were stolen. His lifeless body was found by a security guard who was patrolling on Borcherd Rd.
It is understood that Jesse was killed on his birthday.
The SU student had been cycling back to Nooitgedacht Residence after working until midnight with his project team.
On Friday afternoon, Rudolf Hufke, 19, made a brief appearance in the Stellenbosch Magistrate’s Court.
He was charged with robbery with aggravated circumstances and murder and the court heard that more charges may be added.
The case was postponed to today where three more suspects, two males aged 29 and 28 and a 31-year-old woman, will join him in the dock.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Malcolm Pojie says: “Intricate investigation by Stellenbosch detectives in collaboration with Crime Intelligence led to the arrest of a 19-year-old male suspect within hours of the commission of the crime.
“Meanwhile, on Thursday, Stellenbosch Crime Prevention arrested three more suspects, two males aged 29 and 28 as well as a 31-year-old female in Cloetesville, Stellenbosch.
“They are scheduled to make their court appearance once charged.”
According to his family, they found out about his death on Wednesday afternoon at about 2pm when Jesse’s friends had noticed his absence on campus and one of them went to the police station and ended up identifying his body.
His boeta Aaron said: “Last time we spoke was on Sunday.
He was telling me about his week and I was telling him how proud I was to be his brother.
“I also sent him a birthday message on the morning of his birthday [ironically the same morning of his death], he never got to read it.”
mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za