20-year-old South African pilot raped and killed during training, suspect arrested

Tshakeni’s partially naked body was found on a farm in Canelands, KwaZulu-Natal on the night of 16 July 2024.

She was a trainee fixed-wing pilot at Virginia Airport in KZN.

Officers from Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) were called to the scene of the accident at around 10:15pm that night and reported details to the Operations Centre.

The discovery, which involved the woman’s pink hair and clothing, spread widely and within hours she was identified by a family member from the Eastern Cape who had tried unsuccessfully for several days to reach her by phone in Kwazulu-Natal.

RUSA said in a statement on Monday, July 29, the suspect was tracked down and arrested by Detective Warrant Officer Pravin Seebaluka and a team from SAPS Sydenham.

Detectives found a Ford Ranger that the suspect used to transport Tshakeni from a tavern near Reservoir Hills, as well as a VW Golf that she used to dispose of her body.

According to available information, Tshakeni was in a tavern near her student dormitory.

The tavern was located in an informal settlement near the Clare Estate crematorium.

Tshakeni was in the company of two well-known male friends when an unknown man befriended her.

She is believed to have driven the suspect’s pickup truck, dropped off her two male friends at their homes and then accompanied the man to an unknown location.

It is believed that her hands were tied before she was raped and then killed by strangulation.

The suspect then loaded her body into the trunk of his VW Golf and disposed of the body the next day on the farm in Canelands, KZN, after dropping off a colleague at work.

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