Gauteng
provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo told IOL that
the murder-accused 21-year-old man was arrested after handing himself over to
police this week.
“The
21-year-old suspect handed himself in at the police station. He was then
charged with murder. He is expected to appear before the Pretoria Magistrate’s
Court on Thursday, 11 September 2025,” said Masondo.
He confirmed
that the murder case was opened at Wonderboompoort police station in Pretoria,
and the matter is under investigation.
Family members
of the murdered victim described Shawn as a humble young man, who was deeply in
love with the woman he met in Pretoria in December.
"I recall
vividly that the love relationship between my cousin Shawn and her girlfriend
(name withheld by IOL) started on a high. They seemed to be deeply in love with
each other. I can tell you with certainty that Shawn really loved the woman and
would do many things to show his love. The two quickly moved in together after
they met in December," Shawn's uncle, Everton Wazara, spoke to IOL.
“The two moved
into an apartment in Mayville, in Pretoria. However, the woman maintained
another romantic relationship with another man, who later showed up at the
apartment on Saturday around midnight and (allegedly) brutally killed my
cousin.
“Right now,
Shawn’s mother is inconsolable since we broke the news to her. She has been
crying nonstop. I do not know what I will say to my sister," he said.
Everton said
the relationship between Shawn and his girlfriend had started off promising,
but cracks soon appeared.
“On Saturday, I
am told Shawn visited her girlfriend’s workplace, a popular pub in Pretoria.
She works as a bartender. They later went to their home, but there was an
argument between the couple, with Shawn asking her where her phone was. The
context is that Shawn had somehow become informed about the other boyfriend.
The lady insisted she had left her phone at work,” Everton narrated.
“As the fight
escalated, the girlfriend contacted her other boyfriend, who then rushed to the
scene. The man rocked up on a bike, just before midnight on Saturday, and the
lady went out to talk to him. The man was insisting on taking the woman away.
As someone who truly loved the woman, Shawn also went out in an effort to
persuade the woman, but that was when he was repeatedly stabbed. He had several
deep stab wounds.”
Everton
described the murder scene as “devastating”.
“Even though I
knew the girlfriend well and had maintained contact with her, from the early
days of the relationship, I am still asking myself why she never contacted me,
as a representative of the family, to alert us that Shawn had been brutally
murdered. We only became aware of the death from a Facebook post made by
(socialite and Gauteng-based lawyer) Moreboys Munetsi, who was looking for
family members of a murdered man.
“Right now, we
are appealing for justice for Shawn. He did not deserve to be killed like an
animal. For what? Some witnesses saw everything taking place. We are grateful
for the work done by the South African Police Service (SAPS) detective so far,
who has also been supportive in our quest for answers. We will be in court
today (Thursday) so that we can come face to face with the killer,” he said.
IOL
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