Cape Town - A UCT student fell to her death while celebrating her 21st birthday at a hotel on the corner of Roeland and Buitenkant street in the city centre.
Rosa Carlyle-Mitchell, a theatre and performance arts student, was celebrating at the Kimberley Hotel on Sunday when she fell from the first-floor balcony at about 9pm and died.
The hotel is a popular hangout for Capetonians, with a jukebox and bar downstairs.
Roeland Street resident Angel Campey said she got home shortly after the incident and saw police cars outside the hotel and a body covered by a sheet.
People in the reception area of her building had said they had walked up Roeland Street and seen a girl sitting on the balcony wall having a drink. On their way back there had been police vans outside the hotel.
It is not clear whether the girl on the wall was Carlyle-Mitchell.
Another Roeland Street resident, @Ronellsharee, tweeted shortly after the incident that screams of shock from Carlyle-Mitchell’s friends had given her goosebumps.
Another person, @LemorW tweeted: “Body covered with blanket, girls screeching and lots of crying and shouting outside Kimberley Hotel. Not sure what happened #roeland #accident.”
Eric Hodson, manager at the hotel, said he could not comment about the incident before getting the go-ahead from the victim’s parents.
Carlyle-Mitchell is from Durban where a relative, who did not want to be named, said on Monday Carlyle-Mitchell had been celebrating her birthday with her brother Luke, younger sister Cristina and a cousin.
The relative said Carlyle-Mitchell’s parents, Dominic and Rene, were stranded in Italy because Dominic had been instructed by doctors not to travel after breaking seven ribs in a road crash last week.
Dominic was to visit his doctors again on Monday to ascertain how he could best travel back to South Africa.
Tyna Charter, principal of St Mary’s DSG Kloof, where Carlyle-Mitchell had been a pupil, said: “The staff of St Mary’s are deeply saddened to hear the news and our heartfelt condolences go to the family. We remember Rosa as a creative and talented student with a real joie de vivre.”
Police spokesman Colonel Andrè Traut said an inquest docket had been opened.
UCT spokeswoman Patricia Lucas said UCT was deeply saddened by Carlyle-Mitchell’s death, and had been in touch with the family to offer support. “Counselling services are also available to students and staff who are affected by this death.”
Cape Argus
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