Police search as man accused of murdering girl not in court

Police spent much of Friday searching for a man allegedly behind the gruesome murder of a young girl after he skipped out on his court appearance.

Judge Glenn Goosen immediately issued a warrant of arrest for Xolani Nyangwa, 24, after he failed to appear in the

Port Elizabeth High Court for the continuation of his trial.

Nyangwa, of NU29 in Motherwell, allegedly kidnapped Wendy Beyi, 14, on September 30 2017, beat and kicked her and then wrapped her in material before setting her alight.

The prosecution had called expert police witnesses on Wednesday in an attempt to tie Nyangwa to the offence through DNA evidence.

State advocate Marius Stander had indicated he was close to closing the prosecution’s case and that it would then be for Nyangwa – who was out on bail – to present his defence.

The case had been scheduled to resume on Friday.

While Nyangwa denies having murdered Wendy, he maintains he was present for the murder and then forced by her murderer to move her body and burn it.