Deveney Nel Overberg: Police arrest boy, 17, after girl, 16, found dead in her school storeroom in South Africa

Western Cape police made a breakthrough in the case and arrested the teenage boy on Friday evening (16 August). Police spokesperson Brig Novela Potelwa said the teenager is charged with murder and expected to appear in the Caledon magistrate's court on Monday (19 August).

Deveney Nel, who lived in Grabouw, a town located in the Western Cape province of South Africa, was reported missing by her mother after failing to return home from school. The Caledon police established a search party and Nel was found dead in a storeroom at her school, Hoërskool Overburg, on 7 August.

Medical personnel declared the teenage girl dead at the scene and she was identified as the missing person. Potelwa said: “Since the discovery of the body of the female [pupil], serious violent crimes detectives have been hard at work, pursuing several leads.”

Western Cape police commissioner Lt-Gen Thembisile Patekile applauded the police for the breakthrough in the case. “We will spare no resources in getting to the perpetrators of crime. Gender-based violence and femicide is a priority for the SA Police Service. Hence we welcome his arrest,” Patekile said.