GQEBERHA: A critical and strategically significant breakthrough has been achieved with the arrest of a third suspect in the murder case of Tracy Brown (42), a Public Prosecutor who was brutally murdered in July 2025 near her house in Gqeberha.
The arrest of a third suspect who will make his first appearance before the Gqeberha New Law Courts on 24 December brings the total number of culprits apprehended to three, with the previous two suspects having been in custody since their arrest in September 2025.
According to Hawks spokesperson Warrant Officer Ndiphiwe Mhlakuvana, the Economic Protected Resources (EPR), National Priority Violent Crime (NPVC) of the Hawks, Bloemfontein Flying Squad, and Bloemfontein K9 members have arrested a 33-year-old suspect on 20 December at approximately 19:45, on the N1 national route near Bloemfontein.
“His apprehension follows a meticulously coordinated, intelligence-led, inter-provincial operational deployment. The police members effected the arrest after receiving verified operational intelligence information indicating that the suspect attempted to evade justice by fleeing from the Eastern Cape province,” said Mhlakuvana.
As previously reported, Brown was gunned down on 31 July in front of her partner at her Young Park residence after the suspects allegedly followed her home from the New Brighton Magistrate’s Court, where she worked at the time.
Mhlakuvana said that the decisive intervention in the arrest of the third suspect was the direct result of robust investigative leadership and seamless operational synergy between the Eastern Cape Hawks investigators and the Free State operational units.
“The suspect was immediately detained at Welkom SAPS for formal processing,” said Mhlakuvana.
He further said that upon arrest, the suspect was found in possession of three cellular phones, which have been secured, formally seized, and earmarked for comprehensive investigation.
Mhlakuvana said that further investigation established that the suspect has an outstanding case under Kwazakhele SAPS in Gqeberha, relating to an attempted murder.
The Hawks’ Acting Provincial Head, Brigadier Venessa Shantelle Hastings, has commended the collaborative team for the outstanding work done in ensuring that the suspect has been brought to book to face the mighty arm of the law.
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