Mapaballo Borotho

- A Pretoria man accused of murdering a woman he met online has abandoned his bail application.
- The victim’s body was found buried at his home days after she went missing.
- The case has been postponed to 15 October 2025 for further investigation.
A 36-year-old Pretoria man accused of murdering a woman he allegedly lured via social media will remain behind bars after abandoning his bail application.
Helder Isidro appeared before the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, facing charges of murder and defeating the ends of justice.
It has also been revealed that he is facing a separate rape charge in an unrelated case.
According to Gauteng National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana, the victim, 30-year-old Loveness Magabe, initially met Isidro through a Facebook hookup site.
Their conversations later continued on WhatsApp.
“They arranged to meet in person at a lodge in Eersterust on 26 July 2025,” said Mahanjana. “On that day, it’s alleged that the accused ordered an Uber to fetch the deceased from her home in Sunnyside and drop her off at the meeting place.
However, the lodge meeting never happened. Instead, Magabe was taken to Isidro’s private residence.
Before arriving, Magabe reportedly grew suspicious and messaged a friend, saying the area looked “dodgy” and shared her live location in case anything happened to her.
When she failed to return home, her friend reported her missing on 27 July 2025. Her lifeless body was discovered on 31 July in a shallow grave at the accused’s Eersterust property.
Isidro was later arrested on 4 August 2025 at his grandmother’s house in Limpopo.
The case has been postponed to 15 October 2025 for further investigation.
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