A suspect wanted for the murder of a South African university student has been killed in a shooting involving police. This man had been linked to the death of Olorato Mongale, whose body was found in Johannesburg.

Police officers spotted the main suspect hiding at a residential complex in a town nearby. “The suspect, whose name the police have not released, shot at the officers, who returned fire and killed him”, Athlenda Mathe said, a police spokesperson.

At the time of the suspect’s death, he had 28 ID cards and a dozen mobile phones in his possession. The vehicle, which the police have seized, had traces of blood inside it.

The death of the suspect’s victim has sparked a fierce debate about the levels of violence faced by women in South Africa. While continuing the research for two other men allegedly linked to the murder, the police brought the parents of the deceased suspect into custody.

As part of their investigation into the incident, the police have identified a criminal gang who are targeting women in public places. “They propose to them and request to take them out on a date. When they agree, that is when they rob them,” said police spokesperson Mathe.

When Ms. Mongale was last seen on Sunday, she was on a date with a man she had met a few days earlier at a shopping centre, meaning this might be the criminal gang.

The police later found her body in an open field, her family said Ms. Mongale’s body had been “brutally violated.”

A memorial was held on Wednesday evening in Lombardy West, at the site where her body was found. Local media reported that the victim’s family and friends described her as an energetic, compassionate woman who “lived with purpose and love.”

The country has one of the highest rates of femicide and gender-based violence in the world.