Teen entrepreneur killed a day before opening dream beauty salon

Quite literally a day before 19-year-old Verushka Nel was due to open her own beauty salon, she was allegedly accosted by two armed men and killed in what police are speculating might have been a hit.

According to reports, Nel had spent an agonizing 24 hours incapacitated within her Booysen Park apartment on Marcelino Makaleni Street in Qunu, after two men entered her apartment and shot her in the head on 17 August 2023.

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Police said it was not until her neighbour arrived the following day on 18 August that she was discovered. The neighbour then proceeded to call her mother.

Identifying the suspects

Despite her grave condition, Nel mustered the strength to identify her alleged attackers to her mother before slipping into a coma and eventually succumbing to her injuries five days later in the hospital.

Colonel Priscilla Naidu, the police spokesperson, provided insight into the grim sequence of events.

She explained that Nel had been in her rented apartment when an unexpected knock disrupted her solitude.

She said that the ensuing intrusion, committed by two individuals, saw Nel shot and her cellphone stolen.

“Fortunately, the young girl clung to life long enough to be discovered by a concerned neighbour who immediately contacted the authorities and the girl’s family,” she said.  

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After being rushed to hospital, Nel slipped into a coma on 22 August, ultimately passing away on the same day.

Immeasurable heartache

News24 reported that the heartache experienced by Jackie Nel, Verushka’s mother, is immeasurable.

Amidst her grief, Jackie Nel told the media outlet that the motives behind the attack could have possibly been a robbery due to her daughter’s plans regarding her beauty salon.

She also said that Verushka was a vibrant, kind-hearted young woman who aspired to make a positive impact on the world, even if it meant placing herself in harm’s way.

“Suspects have not been arrested and the Provincial Organised Crime Investigation (Gang Investigation) is investigating a case of murder and house robbery,” Col Naidu concluded.