A man is set to appear in court three years after he allegedly murdered his wife and buried her body in a shallow grave.

In 2020, Fikelephi Dlomo was reported missing. She was 31-years-old at the time.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the 38-year-old suspect handed himself over to police in Nsuze, accompanied by his family, on Monday.

"Investigations pointed the police to the suspect’s house at Qabavu area where the police’s Search and Rescue team recovered human remains, believed to be those of Fikelephi Dlomo, from a shallow grave next to the outside pit toilet," Netshiunda said.

Human remains believed to belong to missing woman, Fikelephi Dlomo. Picture: SAPS

Human remains believed to belong to missing woman, Fikelephi Dlomo. Picture: SAPS

He said investigations so far indicate that the suspect allegedly assaulted the woman with a blunt object, probably a stick, on her head before she was buried.

"The woman’s husband was duly arrested and a case of murder was registered. Further DNA tests will be conducted to ascertain the identity of the recovered body remains," Netshiunda said.

The accused will appear in the Nsuze Magistrate's Court on Wednesday. He faces a charge of murder.

IOL