Mother’s death shocks only daughter
Karen Rautenbach (48), who was found dead in her Brentwood Park home recently, was a warrior of sorts who lived and loved fiercely till the end.
This is how she was described by her daughter, Callie (24), whom Rautenbach raised as a single mother.
Rautenbach’s body was discovered by her domestic worker on the morning of Tuesday, January 12.
At the time of publishing it was still unknown when exactly she died.
“The police suspect that the deceased might have been strangled and the incident may have occurred a few days earlier,” said Benoni SAPS spokesperson Const Zunickha Essakjee.
Callie described her reaction upon hearing of her mother’s death.
“I was absolutely shocked, heartbroken, devastated,” she said.
“My mom’s domestic worker called me from a neighbour’s phone, telling me to come to the house, because something strange was going on.
“When I arrived at the house it had already been taped off as a crime scene.
“As soon as I saw that, I knew [my mother] wasn’t there anymore.”
Callie said her mother lived alone with her beloved three pet dogs, Pug, Gup and Bunty, with whom she spent most of her time.
She explained that she and her mother had a very close relationship, as Callie was Rautenbach’s only child.
“My mother was a selfless woman, who raised me as a single mother, sacrificing a lot in the process,” Callie said.
Rautenbach had lived in Benoni her whole life and worked as a salesperson at Desideratum Enterprises for the past two-and-a-half years.
“She was a matchmaker for most of her life, about 24 years,” said Callie.
“She founded and ran the company, Exclusive Matchmakers, helping many people to find love over the years, but, ironically, she never found her own prince charming.”
Callie added that her mother had been born and bred in Benoni, saying she never left the town and that she loved living here.
On Thursday, January 14, the Benoni SAPS brought in a man for questioning in connection with Rautenbach’s death.
He was released shortly after questioning, though police could not confirm when.
Acting station commander Col Martin van Nieuwenhuizen said the man had not been charged with murder, but that several suspects were yet to be eliminated through investigations, which were ongoing at the time of publishing.
Rautenbach’s funeral was due to be held at Maranatha Community Church, in Kempton Park, at 2pm on January 19.
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