Vuyiseka Bhudlwana, Sinathi Magqazana and Sisipho Mayile.
These are names of three women from Zwelihle whose brutal murders made headlines over the past three years.
In August 2020, Bhudlwana, a mother of four children, was brutally stabbed to death and her body dumped in a bin. A young man known to her family was arrested and charged with her murder.
Magqazana was beaten to death with a hammer in September 2021. Her death caused a public outcry and the community set the house of her boyfriend, who stands accused of her gruesome murder, alight.
The body of Mayile, a young woman waiting for her matric results, was discovered near Camphill on Friday 21 January, one week after her family had last seen her. Two men were taken in for questioning, but later released due to insufficient evidence to link them to her murder.
A large crowd marched to Hermanus Police Station on Friday to demand “Justice for Sisipho”. They were met by Overstrand Mayor Annelie Rabie, Masizole Mnqasela, Speaker of the provincial parliament and head of the Overstrand DA Constituency, and Brigadier Donovan Heilbron, Overberg Police Cluster Commander.
“Who is next? Who else must die in order to see real action?” Mnqasela asked.
“We demand action by the South African Police Service. We demand justice for Sisipho.”
He stated that he will approach the Provincial Police Commissioner to request that detectives from the provincial head office be involved with the murder investigation.
Nokuzola Salukazana informed the police community members fear for their lives if they provide police with information, as they believe some police officials may be in cahoots with criminals.
Mnqasela asked the Overstrand Municipality to ensure Zwelihle had a working CCTV camera system and that floodlights be installed to ensure the safety of residents.
Brigadier Heilbron gave the assurance that everything possible is being done by local police to apprehend the perpetrators.
“We activated the action plan on the day the crime was committed,” Heilbron stated. “We contacted our provincial head office to request that the DNA tests be prioritised. We have also assembled a team of four to investigate the case and we are busy analysing video footage.”
Heilbron pleaded for the community to “allow the justice process to run its course” in order for the police to gather sufficient evidence to carry out arrests.
He also called on those who have information about the case to contact him directly to ensure that enough evidence is gathered to apprehend the perpetrators. The brigadier also gave the assurance that Mayile’s family would get daily updates from the detectives and regular feedback would be given to the community.
Mnqasela and the crowd stated they would once again march to the police station in 14 days.
“We will close this town down in an orderly fashion to demand justice,” said Mnqasela. “We want to give the police the space and leniency to do their work and arrest the perpetrators. We are praying the next time we come here will be to tell the court not to grant the perpetrators bail and to keep them behind bars.”