[imagesource:facebook]

A 21-year-old man has been arrested for the murder of Johannesburg teacher Kirsten Kluyts.

SAPS spokesperson Brenda Muridili confirmed that police arrested the man at a Sandton student’s residence in Parkmore on Sunday. It is reported that he is a student at one of the Sandton tertiary institutions, but it is not mentioned which.

Kluyts was brutally murdered on October 29, while she was jogging at George Lea Park in Parkmore, participating in a MyRun event.

According to reports, she was attacked, dragged down a bank, raped and then strangled to death. Concerned participating runners found her body on the morning of the run after she failed to arrive at the finish line. News24 understands the man was able to be tracked because he was seen wearing Kluyts’ blue T-shirt when he exited the sports complex.

Image: Facebook / Hoedspruit parkrun

The club in Parkmore, Sandton, is surrounded by CCTV cameras, and police used the footage to track the man.

Gauteng’s police commissioner, Lieutenant-General Elias Mawela, commended the detectives who managed to “crack the murder case”, per EWN. The suspect will appear in the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court tomorrow, Tuesday.

This horrific incident has sent shockwaves through the country. Delta Park High School, the school where Kluyts was an English teacher, posted a moving tribute.

‘It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our much-loved teacher, colleague, and friend, Kirsten Kluyts. Fly high with the angels; we will miss you.’

This brutal case is being remembered in South Africa’s annual 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, notes IOL, which takes place every year from November 25 and December 10.

It is an annual international campaign which kicks off on November 25 listed by the United Nations as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.

It’s quite jarring that there is a campaign to bring awareness to this pervasive and destructive global trend for just a couple of days a year. One would think we should respect and protect women and children every day of the year, every year.

[source:ewn]