Cape Town - Khayelitsha resident Wele Dyongo last saw his niece, Sinovuyo Magetya, last Sunday when he left to attend a burial society meeting.
Four days later, Dyongo, the family’s spokesperson, received a call from detectives informing him that they had found a body in a nearby shack.
A suspect known to the 18-year-old’s family has since been arrested and is expected to appear in the Khayelitsha Magistrate’s Court on murder charges on Monday.
Dyongo said: “When I was contacted by the police, I couldn’t believe that my niece had been murdered. The police found her wig with bloodstains on it under his bed and I could tell that he allegedly strangled her before dumping her body at the shack. When I accompanied the police to the suspect’s house we found numerous photos of young women. I think those are the women he’s allegedly preying on and the police need to take a closer look at this.”
She was last seen on Sunday, May 30 when she was out with her friends.
“As a family we are heartbroken about Sinovuyo’s death, it’s still surreal to us. I last spoke to her last Sunday, as I was going to a burial society meeting. When I returned later that day she was not home, but I thought maybe she went to one of her friends. When she didn’t come home on Monday, that’s when we started to get worried as her friends didn’t know where she was. They said they last saw her at a tavern in the area. When we went to go check we did not find her,” he said.
Dyongo said they were shocked when the man was arrested because he was part of the search party.
“I trusted him with everything. I always told him to look after our house or children when we were not home. He even accompanied us while we were searching for my niece – little did we know that he was allegedly involved in her disappearance.
“Her friends told us that four men approached Sinovuyo and left with her. They did not notice anything suspicious as the friends knew the men,” said Dyongo.
He added that the family was struggling financially and would need assistance burying their daughter.
“We are asking the public to assist us in burying my niece. We don’t have anything and we want to give her a dignified burial. Her mother is torn apart and she might need counselling as she’s struggling to sleep.”
Police spokesperson Andre Traut said: “A suspect was arrested last week following the discovery of the victim’s body in his shack in Khayelitsha. He is expected to make a court appearance in Khayelitsha on a charge of murder.”
Anyone wishing to assist with Magetya’s funeral costs can contact Wele Dyongo at 083 692 0048.