Louisa Lubbe remembered

The recent murder of a young mother has not only left the Randburg community concerned about their own safety, but also pitying her toddler who has been left without a mother.

The body of Sonneglans resident, Louisa Lubbe was found on 26 May at her home in Witdoring Road. She had apparently died from a gunshot wound to the head.

Community Support Services arrived at the crime scene at around 3pm after a neighbour heard eight to nine gunshots. She had pressed her panic button to alert CSS about the shooting.

The suspect who was wounded during the shooting incident died in hospital. Lubbe’s husband Dieter was also shot in his shoulder. He was taken to hospital.

According to the Honeydew Police spokesperson, Warrant Officer, Karen Jacobs, a case of murder and attempted murder was opened. Various reports suggested that the couple picked up a casual worker to help them at home on the day of the tragedy. Jacobs could not confirm this.

Louisa Lubbe was buried on 1 June.

Lubbe was the chair lady of the Olivedale Tennis Club and everyone loved her dearly. According to Jill Meintjies of the club, they decided to cancel all championship matches of that following weekend and rather decided to gather on the tennis court on 28 May for a memorial service.

Meintjies explained that Louisa was known by the members for her hugs and affectionate nature. “Our coach, Philip Lawson told of the first time he met her. He put out his hand to shake hers and her response was ‘I don’t do handshakes, I do hugs’.”

She was remembered as a warm and caring person with a passion for the club. She worked tirelessly to keep the club running and was the vice chairperson for 18 months before taking over as chair lady this year in February. Meintjies added that Louisa was a force to be reckoned with on the court and her name has been on the honours board many times over the years.

“The Club will never be the same and we are deciding how best we can honour her name to keep her memory alive. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this terrible time. We miss you, Lou-lou,” said Meintjies.

One of the children of the couple is a Grade 8 pupil at Hoërskool Linden. Dr. Jorrie Jordaan, the school principal, said the school was deeply affected by the tragedy and that the entire family and friends of the family were in their thoughts and prayers. “We ask the Linden community to take hands and to support the family at this time. The school will keep supporting the family,” said Jordaan.

“The violence in our society has a debilitating effect on families,” Jordaan concluded.

Jacobs said that Honeydew detectives are still busy with the investigation regarding the incident. “We are currently awaiting the post-mortem and forensic reports. The investigation is sensitive and not yet finalised,” concluded Jacobs.

Details: Honeydew Police, 011 801 8400.Related articles:

UPDATE: Sonneglans murder: details unfold