Friends and family of murdered Khayelitsha mother Aviwe Jam Jam last night remembered her as a gentle, strong-willed woman who was full of life, and a people’s person.
More than 100 people gathered at a memorial service for Jam-Jam at Ntlanganiso High School in Khayelitsha, a stone's throw from her home.
Nobesuthu Mgcina, who matriculated with Jam Jam in 2004 at Cape Town High School in the City Bowl, cried as she spoke of her friend and how they shared almost everything during their high school days. She said it was sad that Jam Jam was no more.
Police found Jam Jam’s body at the Vygieskraal Stadium on July 29 after she was reported missing on July 22.
Her friends, by way of tribute, lit candles. The wall at the school’s hall were covered in pictures of Jam Jam, while a projector displayed a further selection of pictures. Messages discouraging woman and child abuse also hung on the wall.
Various poems were read by friends.
Jam Jam’s colleague, Alicia Tyhubeni, said Jam Jam was her second colleague to have died in mysterious circumstances from domestic violence.
“She was very strong and faced her own challenges. She would tell me everything that happened to her. It’s sad that we had to lose her in such a manner. She loved her family,” said Tyhubeni.
Jam Jam’s stepfather Mike Mguga said the family would remember her for her good work.