Cape Town - The distraught friend of a slain Langa woman said she believed that if police had taken reports of gender-based violence (GBV) seriously, her friend might still be alive.
The body of 26-year-old Asiphe Nqoloba was discovered in a shallow canal behind the Sanitizer informal settlement in Langa. Police in Gugulethu also discovered the body of a 40-year-old woman in a canal on the corners of NY44 and NY45.
Both women were believed to have been raped and assaulted before their naked bodies were dumped in the shallow canals.
Police discovered yet the body of another woman yesterday morning, this time in Tulbagh.
As the gruesome discoveries rocked these communities, enraged Langa residents attacked and killed a man they believed was involved with the 26-year-old murdered woman.
They dumped his body after setting it alight.
Denouncing the vigilante attack, police say they are now investigating both Nqoloba’s murder and the vigilante killing of the man whom they still have to identify.
Police spokesperson Frederick van Wyk said: “On February 13, at around 10am, Langa police recovered the body of a 26-year-old woman in a canal in Jakes Gerwel Drive.
“Shortly after this discovery, police also discovered the burnt body of an unknown man in the Sanitizer informal settlement. It is believed that the man was accused by community members of the woman’s rape and murder, and was set alight during a vigilante attack.”
Speaking to the Cape Argus about events leading up to Nqoloba’s murder, a friend, Onesimo Njokweni, said that she had last seen her friend on Friday evening before waking up to calls from concerned friends and neighbours asking her where Asiphe was.
She said: “I don’t know how we will ever get through something like this… I’m trying to be strong for my friend’s sister Landiswa, who is closer to this than me. She is in so much pain, I don’t know what to do to make this better for her.
“Asiphe and Landiswa were close, and she stood by her sister when the ex-boyfriend, the guy who was killed by the residents, was abusing her. She encouraged her sister to open cases and was even a witness for one of the cases, I think when he tried to kill Landiswa.
“I blame the police; Landiswa did everything according to what they said. She laid charges, followed up on court appearances … But he would not let go. He threatened and terrorised her and Asiphe up until he raped and killed her,” she said. Nqoloba’s distraught sister Landiswa Qubinkomo battled to recount the events leading up to her sister’s death.
A senior member of the Langa CPF, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of concern of being victimised, said: “We thought, as a society, we were making headway in the fight against GBV, but these incidents paint a grim picture of where we stand. We condemn this incident and the mob justice attack which followed.”
In Gugulethu, the atmosphere was sombre, with residents hurriedly passing by the spot where police recovered the body of 40-year-old Nomahlubi Sithole.
Sithole’s sister Nonkonzo Bandla Mrubata said she last saw her sister on Friday evening, before waking up to frantic calls from neighbours the next day telling her that Nomahlubi’s body was found in the canal.
“As a family, we are at a loss for what to do. Noma was well known in the community. She loved her family so much,” Mrubata said.
Acting Community Safety MEC Anroux Marais has condemned the shocking murders.
She said: “I am absolutely devastated. One death of this nature is one too many. The perpetrators must face the full might of the law while the loved ones of the deceased receive the necessary support during this difficult time.
“To ensure a thorough investigation and successful conviction, I urge anyone with information which could assist the police in their investigation to immediately come forward and report such. My condolences go to the friends, family and loved ones of the three women who lost their lives in such a horrific way,” Marais said.