A man who allegedly kidnapped, raped, and killed a trainee pilot will apply for bail this week. The 35-year-old man, who has not pleaded, appeared before the Durban Magistrates Court last week Thursday after he was arrested for the murder of Imani Tshakeni (20).

ATTACKED AT POPULAR TAVERN

Tshakeni, who is originally from Mount Frere in the Eastern Cape, was a second-year pilot student at the Focus Air School in Durban. She was meant to do ground studies to complete her course this year. She went missing after she had gone out drinking at the popular KwaBulawayo tavern in Sydenham outside Durban two weeks ago. ZiMoja reported that Tshakeni was found dead with her hands tied behind her back after she left the tavern with an unknown man and her two male friends. Her body was discovered four days after she was reported missing by her family. Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) spokesperson Prem Belram said Belram said according to information they received, Tshakeni was at a tavern near her student residence, which is not far from the establishment. "The tavern is situated in an informal settlement in close proximity of the Clare Estate Crematorium, where Tshakeni stayed. She is believed to have driven the suspect’s bakkie, dropping off her two male friends at their homes before accompanying the man to an unknown location. It is believed that her hands were bound before she was raped and then killed by strangulation," Belram said.

IDENTIFIED THROUGH HER COLOURFUL HAIR

Belram added that they discovered the student’s body after they had focused on finding the female’s pink hair and clothing, which were circulated on social media. Tshakeni was identified within hours by a family member from the Eastern Cape. "The suspect was tracked down and arrested by Detective Pravin Seebaluka and a team from SAPS Sydenham. A Ford Ranger was used by the suspect to transport Tshakeni from a tavern in the vicinity of Reservoir Hills, and a VW Golf was used to dump her body, which was located by the detectives," he said. "The suspect then loaded her body into the boot of his VW Golf and dumped the deceased on the farm in Canelands the next day after dropping off a colleague at work," he said. KZN SAPS spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said: "Police in KZN arrested a 35-year-old man for murder, and he appeared before Durban Magistrates Court last week Wednesday and was remanded in custody. The man will be back in court this week for a formal bail application.