- A 57-year-old mother, kidnapped from her home in St Montagu Village, Lavender Hill, was found murdered in a shallow grave.
- Police arrested two suspects, leading to the discovery of her body behind a municipal landfill in Muizenberg.
- The community expressed deep sorrow and anger on social media, condemning the control of gangsters in their area.
As Women’s Month comes to a close the body of a mother, kidnapped from her St Montagu Village home near Lavender Hill, has been discovered in a shallow grave.
Police made the tragic discovery on Monday last week (19 August), over a month after four masked men allegedly kidnapped the woman on Wednesday 10 July.
A multi-disciplinary investigations team comprising the provincial organised crime’s anti-kidnapping team, crime scene investigations, Operation Lockdown, Steenberg visible policing detectives and law enforcement officers led to the arrest of two suspects last week.
READ | ‘War zone’ in Cape Town: Daily gang shootings terrorise communities
Provincial police spokesperson Lt Col Malcolm Pojie said a suspect led police to the body in a deserted area behind a municipal landfill.
“Initial investigation suggests that a group of four masked men kidnapped the 57-year-old woman from her residence in St Montagu Village in Lavender Hill at about 20:45, at gunpoint, during a power outage at her home,” he said. “The assailants left in a silver vehicle and the woman was not seen since then.”
The first suspect, a 23-year-old, was arrested on Sunday 18 August and the second suspect, a 49-year-old man, was arrested on Monday 19 August and has since appeared in court on charges of kidnapping and murder.
Stab wounds
“The arrest of this suspect (on Monday) ultimately led to the discovery of the kidnapped woman who was recovered from a sand grave in a deserted area behind the municipal landfill site in Muizenberg on the same day,” said Pojie. “The body had multiple stab wounds.”
Reacting to the news on social media, residents expressed their sadness and shock.
“It’s still Women’s Month and this is so sad, but God sees it all,” one commented.
READ | Lavender Hill mourns after teen brothers shot dead: Police investigate double murder
While another wrote: “My deep condolences to the family. I knew her from my teenage years, we used to hang out a lot. She will surely be missed by many.”
Residents added that it was sad and disappointing when communities were controlled by gangsters.
“What is sad is people saw what happened but were afraid to speak out… The fact is people allow these gangsters to control their places and they live in a prison of their own.”
