The suspect in the murder of Gugulethu Community Policing Forum deputy chairperson Lulama "Guffy" Dinginto was arrested while returning from the Eastern Cape.

Dinginto was shot and killed in her house in Gugulethu, Cape Town in the early hours of Sunday morning, 10 December. She was shot five times.

Eastern Cape spokesperson Captain Marius McCarthy said the suspect was arrested on Sunday, 17 December -- one week later -- in Graaff Reinet while on a bus headed for the Western Cape.

"It is alleged that on the mentioned date, intelligence was received from the Western Cape that the suspect had left Gqeberha and was on a bus," said McCarthy.

Graaff Reinet Operational Command Centre members waited for the bus to enter their town and at about 9 pm, the bus was stopped and searched.

"The suspect was identified and arrested."

McCarthy said the suspect appeared in court on the warrant of arrest and has since been transferred back to Cape Town to appear in the murder case.

Gugulethu CPF members welcomed the news, with their chairperson, Ntandazo Ngcingca, saying that they are curious to know what went wrong and why their deputy chairperson had been killed.

"Everyone is happy that he was arrested. Now we want to know why he killed someone who devoted her life to making sure that our township is safe," said Ngcingca.

A resident speaking on condition of anonymity said they used to call the victim "Fear Fok*l"

"She was one person who was very brave; she was not afraid of anyone," said the resident.

Before the suspect's arrest, Western Cape SAPS was offering a cash reward of R50,000 for information that would lead to the arrest of the suspect responsible for Dinginto's murder.

Written by staff reporter