An Mpumalanga man has been arrested after allegedly being on the run.

• The man was arrested after a year of allegedly being on the run.
• The 27-year-old allegedly killed his girlfriend, then raped her 9-year-old daughter and set the room alight.
• Neighbours of the victim were alerted to the fire when the women’s nine-year-old daughter called for help.

A 27-year old man who had allegedly been on the run in the Lowveld of Mpumalanga for more than a year, has been arrested.

A manhunt was launched for the killer in June last year after he allegedly killed his girlfriend, then raped her 9-year old daughter and then set the room alight to allegedly try and cover up his crime.

The young girl, however, managed to escape from the blazing room she was sharing with her mom and the suspect.

At the time of the incident, police in White River investigated the possibility that it was a revenge attack on the woman in the Msholozi township.

The 28-year-old woman was allegedly burnt beyond recognition after the house was set alight.

READ | Cape Town man applies for bail after allegedly killing mom

Neighbours of the victims were alerted to the fire when the woman’s 9-year-old daughter called for help.

The fire in the single room brick block house was still raging and neighbours tried putting the fire out with sand and buckets of water.

After the blaze was doused by the fire brigade, the woman’s charred body was found inside the room.

Sergeant Cynthia Mbokodo, spokesperson for the police in White River, at the time, said the couple only moved to the area a few months before the incident.

The State wants to prove that the suspect was involved in a domestic dispute with his girlfriend which then led to him killing her and setting the house, which is in D Section of the Msholozi township, alight.

Eyewitnesses told the police the little girl was barefoot and bleeding from her private parts when she arrived at the neighbour’s house looking for help.