Cape Town - A man is expected to appear in the Wellington Magistrates Court on Monday, following the murder of a 35 year-old Klapmuts woman.
The body of Heilay Astrid Smith was discovered on Thursday evening, at her home in Lilian Street, Klapmuts, with fatal injuries.
Residents said her husband had been arrested for Smith’s murder, however police did not confirm this.
Police spokesperson, FC Van Wyk said that the Wellington police are investigating a case of murder and that a 37 year-old man was arrested.
“According to reports, the police were alerted about the incident in Lilian Street on Thursday at about 6.25pm and upon their arrival they found a 35 year-old female with injuries to the upper body.”
The motive of the incident is under investigation, said Van Wyk, and the suspect will appear at the Wellington Magistrates Court once charged.
Several credible online reports confirmed that Smith, a manager at Shoprite Klapmuts in Paarl, was at the time on maternity leave. Her four-month-old infant was found unharmed near her body.
Klapmuts Community Policing Forum said they were still waiting for more information, and was not able to comment.
Anti-gender-based violence activist and survivor Chalmane Kruger said, “I only knew her via her place of work, Klapmuts Shoprite, and as the do-good, friendly kind of angel in our community. She shared her friendliness and the little money she earned amongst the needy here in our community because of her beautiful personality.”
Kruger said she would be attending the court appearance in solidarity, as the community mourns the collective loss.
“He (the suspect) not only robbed her baby of a mom or her mom of a daughter, but he also robbed our society of a sincerely good person who lived her life the way God wanted her too. She blessed my drama kids in Klapmuts with a donation after she overheard me and another volunteer at the till, that we are short of money to buy more rolls. It was the sweetest and most generous gesture I ever experienced.”
Cape Argus