Cape Town - The Mbekweni community in Paarl gathered outside the local police station on Monday, demanding the arrest of a man accused of killing his 27-year-old girlfriend and then setting her body alight.
This after the dismembered, charred body of Siphokazi Booi, 27, was discovered dumped at the train station on Sunday after she was allegedly killed on Saturday night.
Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi said Mbekweni police attended to a crime scene next to the railway lines on Sunday just after 3pm. Upon arrival at the scene they found the body of an unknown person that was burned beyond recognition.
Swartbooi said a murder docket was registered for further investigation, and that the motive for the attack was unknown.
However, he said a 30 year-old man was taken in for questioning as a person of interest: “The person is not yet arrested.”
When the Cape Argus visited the community at the police station and the scene yesterday, Booi’s relatives and the community members gathered and some had a chance to question the suspect, who allegedly confessed that he killed Booi in a wheelie bin.
Booi’s aunt, Nontando, 43, and the suspect’s uncle asked to speak to the suspect and came out, saying he had confessed to the killing.
Nontando said she last saw her on Friday, and her friends told her that she was with her boyfriend, who has been beating her.
She said the boyfriend was used to beating Siphokazi, to the point that he damaged her face last month and she was admitted to Tygerberg Hospital.
She said after she was discharged, she went back to him, not knowing that he would kill her.
“All that we want is justice. We cannot be sent from pillar to post because Siphokazi does not have parents.”
Following news of the incident, residents demolished a shack belonging to the suspect 10 steps away from the scene and burnt his car.
Community activist Luxolo Mvandaba, the founder of advocacy group Unmasking Man’s Emotion, said by burning the body the suspect was trying to destroy evidence.
Mvandaba said when the suspect confessed he said he had kicked her in the stomach until she started vomiting, and later died.
He said Siphokazi had a swollen face and eyes when she died, because she had been beaten by the same boyfriend who now killed her.
Community Safety MEC Albert Fritz said as a country just emerged from Women's Month, Booi’s murder was indicative of how far society still needs to go.
Fritz said he was going to ask the advocate who works with gender-based violence cases in their court watching brief unit to follow the case closely.
“There are a number of allegations at the moment, but we appeal to all stakeholders to give the SAPS the opportunity to investigate the matter and to bring the perpetrators to book,” said Fritz.
He appealed to communities to resist the temptation to take matters into their own hands.
“If anyone has information, please bring this information forward to the SAPS.”
Anyone with information that could assist in the investigations was urged to contact the Crime Stop number, 0860010111, or the MySAPSApp.