Durban - A second nun has been accosted in the grounds of the Sacred Heart Convent near Ixopo where Sister Gertrud Tiefenbacher (known as Sister Stefani) was murdered last month, while other nuns have received anonymous threats.
Some of the younger nuns have been evacuated to the safety of the convent at Mariannhill.
This was disclosed to the Daily News by a source at the court appearance of two men arrested for the 86-year-old nun’s murder and suspected rape in Ixopo on Wednesday.
Sister Gerald Frye, head of the convent, refused to comment on the new developments, saying all focus should be on the investigation and court proceedings.
A third suspect, believed to be a policeman’s son, has turned State witness for the murder trial.
The Austrian nun, who had served the Ixopo community for 60 years, was found dead in her room at the convent on April 18.
In an incident last weekend, a nun was accosted by an unknown man in the convent grounds, but managed to run to safety before any harm could come to her.
“The nuns are very distraught and are in fear. They feel as if they are being targeted,” the source said.
The source said they were not at liberty to reveal the nature of the threats that the nuns had received, save to say that they had left the convent “shaken and concerned”.
“It is a trying time, but through prayer they (the nuns) are staying strong,” the source said.
The source said that the men arrested for Tiefenbacher’s murder were known in the community, which had also raised questions as to whether they had planned the attack on her with information they had somehow received about the convent and its layout.
“Men are not allowed in the convent, so how did they know where Tiefenbacher’s room was? How did they get into the convent unseen? These are very troublesome questions,” the source said.
Emotions ran high when the two accused made their second court appearance.
The tiny Ixopo Magistrate’s Court room was packed with people who had come out in support of the convent. The two suspects made rude gestures at the court gallery, sparking angry reaction.
The men, charged with rape, murder, housebreaking and aggravated robbery, cannot be named until they have pleaded to the rape charge.
The case was adjourned and the suspects were remanded in custody until Friday when they will be served with indictments after which they will be transferred to the Pietermaritzburg High Court where their trial is expected to begin on Monday.
The suspects were arrested soon after the murder when police raided several places in the Shayamoya informal settlement.
Police said they found stolen property in their possession which was positively identified as belonging to Sister Stefani.
Community members who gathered at court on Wednesday said they would travel to Pietermaritzburg to see for themselves if justice still worked in South Africa.
Sindi Mhlongo said that it was “reprehensible” that young men aged 25 and 26 could attack and rape an elderly woman of God.
“It boggles the mind. These men need to face the full might of the law for their actions,” she said.
On Thursday the president of the Catholic Women’s League, Eileen Hughes, said the solution to the problem of safety needed to come from the very community.
“The convent should be safe for them. The community needs to band together to work something out before there are no nuns left.”
Hughes said most of the community appreciated the work the nuns did for and with them.
“Most of them are distressed and panicking because of what happened to (Tiefenbacher).
“I don’t know if they (those nuns who have left) will ever return,” she said.
In a statement the South African Catholic Bishops Conference communications officer, Father S’milo Mngadi, described the attack on Tiefenbacher as “evil and barbaric”.
“The churches and, especially, the convents have always been centres of hope for our communities as they minister through education, health, charity and other social services,” the church leader said.
Daily News