MEYERTON. – The suspected rape of a dead woman has yet to be forensically established.The victim is a woman (27) who was found in an open veld a stone’s throw away from her home in Sicelo, Meyerton. Residents said that the woman, Nomalanga Khoza, was killed and raped according a repeated modus operandi, suggesting a serial killer on the loose. The deceased was reported missing to Police during the Easter holidays.
Her mother, Nonhlanhla Khoza, told Sedibeng Ster that the last time she called her daughter was an hour before her cellphone went to voice-mail. The family was stunned when a person collecting waste for recycling at a dump site reportedly saw a body.
After Police were alerted on June 13, the mother was assigned to identify the body and confirmed that it was indeed her daughter. It was alleged that the semi-decomposed body was half naked with a twisted neck and with thighs wide open.
The mother was angered when Police said the body would only be released after forensic testing was done within three months.This resulted in the community taking to the streets and marching to the Meyerton Police Station, demanding the release of the body.
The station commander, Colonel Radebe met with the family, Ward 10 Councillor and Midvaal MMC Tsukulu. The long discussion ended positively with the family relieved. Radebe promised to transport the family to the government mortuary to obtain a death certificate. The body will be released for burial on Friday, June 22.
The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania (PAC) leadership in the area said that ‘one life is one too many’. The party has harshly condemned the killings taking place in the area: “As the community we need to act swiftly and to work closely with Police for information leading to the arrest of these thugs. We suspect there’s a serial rapist loitering amid the community.”
The PAC said that at least four victims were reportedly killed in the same fashion this year: “A peaceful community march is not working. We need to change the approach of crime awareness. “We have marched and toyi toyi’d to no avail.”
