Evidence at the scene of the gruesome murder and sexual assault of mentally challenged Shirley Soffiantini in her Umhlanga home this week has led detectives to question whether she was the victim of a housebreaking, as was initially suspected.
The close-knit community of Umhlanga was rocked by Soffiantini’s brutal slaying, with the 63-year-old’s body discovered in her Egret Lane home on Tuesday.
Evidence indicates the woman, who had the mental capacity of a pre-teen, might have been murdered last Sunday.
She was last seen at the weekend, and her absence was noted by neighbours on Monday and Tuesday. A source close to the investigation, who could not be named, confirmed a post-mortem report would establish the cause of her death and whether she had been raped.
Soffiantini was found naked and bound on her bed, her legs tied apart. Blood found on the mattress pointed to violent sexual assault. A piece of rope was found in her mouth.
The only item that appeared to have been stolen from the house was her bulky box TV, which would be an unlikely target for career housebreakers, because it is heavy to transport.
While burglar guards in a bedroom appear to have been forced, nobody could have gained entry through them.
A discarded cap found at the scene was sent for DNA testing.
In another peculiar twist, her attackers appear to have locked her driveway gate behind them.
Why was a worthless TV the only item stolen? Why would housebreakers target a woman who had nothing? Why were burglar bars partly bent? Why was the gate secured with a padlock?
Umhlanga Community Policing Forum chairman Haden Searles said Soffiantini’s murder did not match any modus operandi of criminals in the area.
“Our crime level has remained constant. There was no noticeable spike in this area. Opportunist criminals often commit petty theft, but they’re rarely so violent,” he said.
He said the theft of the TV was strange, as robbers had in previous incidents admonished residents for not upgrading to flat screens.
“They took pity on them and walked out. An old box TV has no value,” he said.
“This isn’t a housebreaking gone awry, but a murder with aggravating circumstances. If the matter involved a home invasion, it would have been handed over to the provincial task team,” he added.
Searles appealed for calm and assured residents an arrest was imminent.
“The investigating team is working on strong leads. They are confident they will make an arrest soon.
“We are horrified. This has rocked a close community. It’s everyone’s deepest fear. But there is no need to panic.
“Get to know your neighbours well and report anything suspicious. Had it not been for Soffiantini’s neighbours, who knows how long her body would have lain undiscovered,” he said.
The Sunday Tribune has established there have been at least three housebreakings in the neighbourhood since Soffiantini was murdered.
Patricia Barendse, Soffiantini’s closest friend, described her as “an innocent”.
“She was no threat to anyone. She kept to herself and was relatively frail, so probably would not have put up a fight. What happened is disgusting,” she said.
She said Soffiantini had been estranged from her family and rarely entertained |visitors.
“She preferred to be alone. The only reason I got close to her was because I saw her often for many years. She was like an institution in this area – you could set your watch by her routine. Every day by 8.30am, she would be out and walking to the shops and at 10.30am you could see her walking home,” she said.
“She loved her cat more than anything, and I think because of her disability she preferred the company of animals to people. I will miss her dearly and I’m devastated at what happened. She was vulnerable and alone and she was preyed upon.”
She said Soffiantini had bequeathed her three-bedroom house, worth more than R1 million, to the SPCA.
“She did not have a good relationship with her siblings after her mother died. When her sister was on her death bed they even chased her out of the hospital,” she said.
According to police crime statistics, sex crimes in the Durban North precinct had remained constant, with 37 incidents reported during the 2011/2012 year.
Suncell Watch founder Craig Adendorff, one of the first to get to the scene, described Soffiantini’s murder as heinous.
He confirmed that the crime rate in the area had not spiked and said a violent killing was out of the ordinary for the affluent suburb.
“According to our numbers, we have not seen an unusual rise and things have remained level for the past couple of months. If anyone has information on this senseless killing, we urge them to come forward,” he said.
People Against Woman Abuse spokeswoman Nonkululeko Khumalo described the manner in which Soffiantini was killed as “inhumane”.
“Men brutally attacked and raped a helpless elderly woman. This is the very unfortunate nature of our society that women cannot live freely without fear of being raped or violated,” she said.
Khumalo called for police investigating the case to act swiftly.
“We call on the police to investigate and find the perpetrators of this brutal crime and see that they face the consequences of their brutal actions,” she said. - Sunday Tribune.