The community of Alexandra in Gauteng says it is in shock after a 48-year-old woman was raped and killed.
Barbara Zwane’s body was found half naked in a toilet on Thursday morning.
Used condoms and shoe strings were found at the scene, which suggests that she might have been strangled to death.
Zwane’s boyfriend Tshepiso says he was on a night shift duty when his lover was brutally murdered.
“She came to me at work asking for money that was the last time I saw her alive,” he says.
Alexandra police station commander Brigadier Lindiwe Magudulela has confirmed the crime and says they are investigating.
The rape and murder of women and children remain a thorn on the side of the post-apartheid government in South Africa, despite various efforts to end the scourge.
According to a 2009 study by the University of Cape Town’s Children’s Institute, rape-murder is not a rate occurrence in South Africa with 494 of women murdered and 104 of the child murders that year linked to rape. It says the rape-murder rate for adult women is similar to the overall global murder rate of adult women.
Strangulation was among the most common manner of death in cases of rape-murder for adult females and the most common for children. The author of this article – Given Motswiane – works for the Alex Reporter.
Prince Ndlovu’s case will return to court on 21 January 2021.
It has been postponed yet again for further investigations.
The 25-year-old taxi driver is accused of killing 18-year-old Nkosi who was a learner at the East Bank High School at the time of her passing.
Her body was found with bullet wounds in September near the Jukskei River Park in West bank.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in Gauteng believes it has a strong case against Ndlovu.
Spokesperson Phindi Njonondwane has previously told reporters that “the suspect did not apply for bail instead he has applied for legal aid assistance in the matter.”
She says investigations continue to establish whether he has committed other crimes.
Police have also said they have strong evidence linking the Zimbabwean national to Nkosi’s murder.
Different community organisations were picketing outside court on Wednesday, demanding that the accused be remanded in custody.
Others are not happy with the case’s constant postponements.
“Why did they keep on postponing the case because there is clear evidence that Prince killed Jabulile?” asked one picketer.
Issues
of housing have come to the fore again in Alexandra where more than ten houses
were destroyed in a fire over the Easter weekend.
Issues
of overcrowding were at the heart of recent protests in the Johannesburg
township, where residents complain that 25 years into democracy, thousands of
families still live in poor conditions.
The
weekend blaze engulfed houses on 14th Avenue, and residents speculate
that an electrical fault caused the fire.
Thoko Mbukazi, who lost her home
in the fire, said, “the electricity went off and it came back around 11:00 pm
and that’s when the fire started.”
Residents
say they have lost all their belongings including ID documents and clothing and
are pleading to the community for assistance.
The
African National Congress (ANC) in Alex used the opportunity to campaign by
coming to the community’s aid with food parcels and blankets.
ANC’s
ward 76 Councilor Mosses Pandeka said, “the City of Joburg is run by the DA but
it is still our responsibility to assist the community because they are the
voters.”
An
investigation into the fire has since be launched. – Alex FM (edited by Siya
Motha)
Alex residents Thoko Mbukazi and Zodwa Ngwenyama Mamabolo describe their losses in the devastating Easter weekend fire
