LAKESIDE – This is after the 28-year-old went missing on December 10, after being seen leaving a local pub in her neighbourhood.
The gruesome discovery was made following a tip-off to the police by a girlfriend of a 36-year-old suspect who told the cops about the heinous crime.
Nomvula is a sister to former soccer star Bennett Chenene who played for various professional football clubs including Amazulu FC, Orlando Pirates, and Bloemfontein Celtics among many others.
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Following the tip-off, police went to the scene and activated an investigation which proved the statement made by the girlfriend.
The body of Nomvula was then exhumed from a small shack, with her body decomposed after being buried in a shallow grave.
The Chenene family was called to the scene to identify the deceased on a Sunday morning.
Scores of bystanders looked on in shock, as Forensic Pathologists investigated the scene.
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Addressing the media following a positive identification, Bennett said the family is confident that the body found is that of his sister, as she was identified with gold teeth and the clothes she left wearing before her disappearance.
“The body found matched my sister. I’m wondering why the suspect killed my sister. Nomvula was a peoples person, it puzzles me why would someone decide to play God with her life,” he said.
“My mother has been crying since Saturday, and going home to inform her about this situation breaks my heart. The old lady will be devastated,” he said.
Speaking about the woman who blew the whistle on the murderer, Chenene said she should have came out long ago and spared the family trauma.
“Why after three months? We suffered emotionally and physically. The informant should have spoken out early and saved us the headache. We couldn’t eat and sleep,” he said.
Lesego Morake, a friend of deceased Nomvula said the killing of her ‘sister’ has left the lesbian community devastated.
“We are not feeling safe and as a lesbian community, we facing many challenges. We can’t have our freedom. I am devastated especially because she was like a sister to me,” she said.
Morake said shared her traumatic experience as a lesbian in her kasi.
“I am a victim of gang rape and survived the incident. I almost lost my life in the act because I was stabbed and left for dead,” she said.
Sedibeng Police Spokesman Captain Fikile Funda said a case of murder was opened and a suspect is behind bars.
“On the 10th of December last year, we had an inquiry opened of a missing person in Orange Farm SAPS. Our investigations took us to a house in Orange Farm, where a body was found. A preliminary investigation is putting the 28-year-old victim on a crime scene. We are investigating a murder case and might add further charges following post-mortem results,” he said.
The suspect is set to appear at Vereeniging Magistrate court soon.
