Boitumelo Gift Mashita, 23, was shot and killed on the morning of 28 September 2026 at about 05:45 while on her way to work in Temong, Mapungubwe Street, Thembisa. Gauteng police opened a murder and robbery case after Mashita’s belongings were taken at the scene. Investigators later linked the killing to her estranged husband, whom the SAPS Tembisa Tracking Team was tracing.
Later that day, police found the suspect deceased inside his vehicle in Midrand. Authorities said no foul play was suspected initially, with a post-mortem scheduled to determine the exact cause of death. Midrand police were set to register an inquest case into his death.
Mashita’s family told SABC News they believed she was killed by someone she knew and found some comfort in the identification of the suspect. “We’ve lost a loved one because it happened so unexpectedly,” said cousin Thobile Mbatha. “One thing we will remember about her, she had a soft heart. She was very kind, very open to so many people.” The family also noted the attack happened close to her home.
Mashita’s manager, Tholakele Miya, described her as reliable, teachable, and always punctual. “Boitumelo was a loving child, most of all she was one of the teachable, she will listen and do what you ask her to do.”
Police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said preliminary investigations had not established any connection between Mashita’s killing and recent cases involving bodies of women found in Ekurhuleni. She confirmed the post-mortem will determine the exact cause of the suspect’s death.
The young woman leaves behind a five-year-old son. The community remains in shock, grappling with the senseless loss amid South Africa’s wider crisis of gender-based violence and femicide.
The investigation remains ongoing, and police continue to piece together details surrounding the killing and the circumstances of the suspect’s death.