A young man, who allegedly raped and killed his 74-year-old grandmother, as well as his friend, appeared in the Vuwani Magistrate´s court on Monday on charges of murder and rape. It is alleged that Mpho Mudavhi (22) and his friend, Lawrence Manyama (24), killed the helpless and lonely granny two weeks ago. Mpho is a grandson of the deceased, Mrs Nyawasedza Mudavhi. The gogo was killed on the Saturday, but her body was only discovered by neighbours on the Monday morning. The body of the granny had several open wounds to her face and head as if she had been stabbed with a sharp object. According to Vuwani police spokesperson warrant officer Elijar Malatjie, a theft might have preceded the murder. It was earlier alleged that Mpho, who is not staying with his grandmother, had stolen R600 from the house. The deceased had opened a case of theft against her grandson, but later decided to withdraw the case, as he apparently promised never to do it again. Malatjie also indicated that the suspect had been arrested before for housebreaking and had spent some time in jail. He was out on parole when the murder was committed. When Mpho was confronted by police, he allegedly told them that he was not alone and he implicated his friend, Lawrence Manyama, who was in Johannesburg. "We phoned him to come to the police station and arrested him," warrant officer Malatjie said. The investigation into the case continues. According to Malatjie, the arrest was made possible after community members came forward and supplied the police with the necessary information. "We are still encouraging people to report any criminals from their communities to their nearest police stations without fear," he said. "These two men are going to Tshilidzini hospital for DNA tests to try and establish who had raped the granny before she was killed,” Malatjie said. Mourners from different parts of the Vhembe District paid their last respects to the granny, who was buried on Saturday at the Nngwekhulu cemetery. A community member who wanted to remain anonymous said that Mpho Mudavhi was known as a housebreaker and had spent a lot of time in jail. The Vuwani Magistrate court has postponed the case to June 18. The two suspects remain in custody while the investigations continue.