THE body of a woman found in the bush at Southport beach yesterday has been positively identified as Ella Sophia ‘Elsie’ Potgieter, (43), who went missing last Thursday.
She was reported missing by her partner, Johan van der Bergh, when she failed to meet him at the beach as planned.
On Friday morning members of Search and Rescue K9 Port Shepstone, as well as Port Shepstone police divers and TRT members, began searching for her.
Police spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Zandra Wiid, said that she was last seen walking with a 23-year-old man on the beach on the day of her disappearance.
“The man was traced to Margate and arrested by Lieutenant Colonel Kobus Barnard and TRT members,” she said.
He was charged with kidnapping last Friday, and appeared in Port Shepstone court on Monday.
The prosecutor declined to prosecute due to a lack of evidence.
The man was re-arrested on Monday by Detective Warrant Officer Doepie du Plessis from Southport police, on a charge of attempted murder.
Meanwhile, the search for the missing woman continued in rivers, along the beach, and in tidal pools, but without success.
Yesterday, the man in custody told police he wanted to do a ‘pointing out’.
Lt-Col Wiid said that he took police to a stretch of beach at Southport where the body of a woman, who has now been positively identified as Ella Sophia Potgieter, was found in an advanced state of decomposition.
“He also pointed out where her clothing and other items were buried in the sand,” she said.
Lt-Col Wiid said a postmortem had established that the cause of death was strangulation.
The man will now also face charges of murder and rape and will appear in court tomorrow.
I am devastated of what happened on our beach!!! How sick had people became? Why don’t we bring back the death penalty!! My heart is very sore, just imagine the pain she must have gone through!!! What type off sick manic does a thing like this!!!