Cape Town – A Khayelitsha mother is still seeking answers after her daughter was killed three months ago, allegedly by her boyfriend.
Lucia Tshona, 30, was burnt to death inside her shack in March.
Her mother Gloria Tshona said she they had not been able to get any answers from police and the case is now sitting with a third detective.
According to Tshona, there were three witnesses, but none of them had been interviewed by police. She said the family had also not been given the post-mortem report.
“No one came back to me
and as the child’s mother, that hurts. I keep going to the police station for some answers and sometimes
I am treated badly and I leave there in tears.
“They ask me why I am hounding them and I say they should put
themselves in my shoes.”
She said the case was now with a
third detective.
“I am now still waiting to hear
from the new detective about the
case. I have no new information on
my daughter’s case. They said we
must come back on Monday to get
feedback.”
Police spokesperson Captain
FC van Wyk on Sunday said they
would be best able to comment on
weekdays during office hours due
to the availability of investigating
officers.
“Your enquiry was sent to Harare,
Khayelitsha police station, and this
office will respond at a later stage
when the information is made
available,” Van Wyk said.
The SJC held a memorial service
for Lucia.
Spokesperson Nomathemba
Masemula said: “With the surge of
GBV happening in our country it is
our duty as an organisation to fight
for the unheard and marginalised
groups.
“Lucia Tshona’s case reflects
a painful aspect of GBV in this
country, that even after the brutal
deaths of many South African
women, the police system fails to
protect and even perpetuates the
violence experienced by women
by literally letting perpetrators free
and dismissing victims and their
families.”
She said the memorial service was
not only to honour Lucia but also to
“remove a blanket of silence on the
brutal and violent death of Lucia at
the hands of her partner, as well as
many other cases of GBV that have
gone unprosecuted”.
Anyone with information can
anonymously contact Crime Stop on
08600 10111 or SMS Crime Line on
3221.