One of the two men accused of the murder of 21-year-old Brendin Horner was arrested 16 times previously, according to police.
Police Minister Bheki Cele's spokesperson Lirandzu Themba told News24 it was true that the suspect was implicated in 16 previous cases.
Cele was quoted by TimesLive saying, "I would like to know why a person who has been arrested 16 times is still given another chance to commit another crime."
The two men were arrested by Senekal detectives at Fateng tse Ntho in Paul Roux on Sunday, after Horner was found in an open space tied to a pole, with a rope around his neck.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Motantsi Makhele previously said that bloodstained clothes and shoes were found, and would be taken for forensic tests.
Themba said the previous charges faced by the suspects would be revealed the next time they appeared in court.
The two briefly appeared in the Senekal Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, where the case was postponed to 16 October.
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