‘May my tears not be in vain’ – mother of woman found dead in Gugulethu

The mother of a 24-year-old woman whose body was found dumped next to a rubble-strewn path at the end of a cul-de-sac in Gugulethu, Cape Town, said she has given those responsible for her daughter’s murder “over to God”.

A small gathering to offer words of encouragement and prayer to the family was held where the body was found on Friday.

The woman’s body was discovered last Friday.

“May my tears of losing a child not be in vain,” her mother said. “Those responsible for the death of my child, I have handed them over to God [to deal with].”

The family, together with advocacy group Ilitha Labantu, has asked that the name and surname of the victim not be published.

Before she was murdered, the woman had lived in Langa, Cape Town.

Addressing the crowd, the victim’s mother, looking at the exact spot where her daughter was found, said: “Rest my child. I’m taking you home next week to Lady Frere [in the Eastern Cape] to lay you to rest.”

According to the police, no one has been arrested for the murder of the woman who leaves behind two children.

“May God also give me the strength to raise your two children. I’ll miss you, my child,” said her mother who described her as a supportive child and a people’s person.

In his sermon, Reverend Vuyani Buwe said we should return to the values of humanity and ubuntu.

“The world is watching us. We are people of ubuntu. We are people who possess qualities of love and respect. What happened to our collective humanity, that we find ourselves gathered here under such circumstances; what happened to the preservation of people’s human dignity?”

Buwe used the opportunity to also call for peace, saying enough was enough and that the killing of women and children should come to an end.

The woman will be buried on September 21.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.