Business Report

Three more suspects arrested in the murder of Clare Swartz

Genevieve Serra|Published

A total of six people have now been arrested for the murder of 29-year-old Clare Swartz.

Image: Supplied

Three more suspects have been arrested and charged with the murder of a young mother who was stabbed and her body dumped at the Wolfgat Nature Reserve in Mitchell's Plain.

This brings the total to six.

The group may not be identified until their formal identity parade has been completed, which is a vital part of the police’s ongoing investigation.

The trio made their first appearance at the Mitchell’s Plain Magistrates’ Court on Monday and joined three others who were detained a week ago.

Some the suspects reside in the Tafelsig community, in parts such as Freedom Park.

They are jointly charged with the murder of 29-year-old Clare Swartz and the attempted murder of her boyfriend.

The matter was postponed for their formal bail application which is scheduled to take place on September 8.

An online petition of more than 2000 signatures including 300  hand delivered, were handed over to the state prosecutor, calling for bail to be denied.

The State is set to prove that the group stabbed Swartz in the neck and also attacked her boyfriend with a knife nearly two weeks ago.

Earlier Swartz ' father, Francois Swartz, told the Cape Argus’ sister newspaper, Daily Voice that the mother of one was walking with her boyfriend at night to purchase drugs when they were attacked by five men.

Swartz was stabbed multiple times in the neck while her boyfriend who was also knifed, managed to get away and flee for his life.

He later sought medical treatment at a nearby facility.

The dad said he had not seen his daughter for two months because she was living with her boyfriend at his mother’s home.

Lynn Philipps, of the Cape Flats Safety Forum said they were calling for justice for the young mother's murder.

“We cannot have a situation where  young mothers are being killed by brutal killers,” she said.

Moments after the court appearance, police officials rushed to the Town Centre shopping centre where an adult male was shot and killed and found lying in a pool of blood.

The shooting comes a week after two people were shot outside of the court house, leaving one dead and another wounded in what is believed to be gang related.

The duo had made an appearance for double murder charges and the case was provisionally withdrawn moments before they were shot.

Cape Argus