Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

A South African soldier has been arrested in Burundi in connection with the murder of a young woman, the Defence Ministry said in Pretoria on Monday.

Another source has told Sapa that the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) has called for the exhumation of the body for further investigation.

This, the source said, was because it was felt that the murdered woman was buried "prematurely" before the murder investigation could be completed.

Sergeant Philippus Jacobus Venter, 32 -- a VIP protector -- was arrested on Friday and was being detained at the SANDF base in Bujumbura after local law enforcement agencies laid a charge of murder.

According to a defence ministry statement, Venter was alleged to have murdered Therese Nkeshimana on the night of September 19.

The source told Sapa that the two were alleged to have been seen getting into a taxi together in Bujumbura.

"The taxi apparently drove into a ditch and the two continued their journey on foot. This was the last time Nkeshimana was seen alive," the source said.

Her body was found the next day. She had apparently been strangled, the source said.

Investigations were said to have been hampered by the "premature" burial of Nkeshimana, which is why the SANDF wanted the exhumation, the source said.

Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota expressed shock and regret at the news.

He said he viewed the allegations of murder levelled at Venter in an extremely serious light because members of the SANDF deployed in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and elsewhere in the continent were there to preserve lives and ensure peace and stability.

"If these allegations proved to be true, they will impact negatively on the otherwise sterling work done by thousands of SANDF members in the region and country," said Lekota's spokesman, Sam Mkhwanazi.

He said this was the first case of its kind and the Departments of Defence and Foreign Affairs would monitor it closely "to ensure that it is tried according to international norms and standards."