DURBAN - A FAMILY in Sundumbili, Mandeni, want answers after the death of Siphesihle Duma, a third-year Dramatic Arts student from the Durban University of Technology.
The body of the 23-year-old woman was found floating in the sea at South Beach, Durban, last Thursday morning.
Duma’s aunt, Zinhle Madela, said the family was notified of her disappearance by a room mate and close friend after she did not return from an outing on Wednesday.
“Her best friend called and informed me on Thursday that Siphesihle had not returned to the student residence. She emphasised that this was a red flag because she did not present herself for her practicals and she never misses any class and she is always on time,” Madela said.
A missing person poster was created and shared on social media platforms on Friday.
A man who saw the poster said he had seen Duma go into a club in Durban.
Madela said the family approached the bouncer at the club who said he had seen Duma on the day she went missing.
“The bouncer told us that he remembered seeing her. His attention was drawn by an argument that she was having with a man who was the last one to be seen with her alive. He said the man was adamant to leave with her, but she was refusing and crying,” she said.
Madela said CCTV footage showed Duma leaving the club with the man following after her.
She said the family received another call on Friday, from a jogger who told them she had seen the body of a young woman being removed from the water on Thursday morning, and advised them to call the police.
“We went to the Point police station to enquire about the body they found and they told us that the body had been sent to a mortuary in Phoenix. We then identified the body on Saturday morning,” an emotional Madela said.
She said the club management had been forthcoming with information as it released the CCTV footage to the family. Madela said the footage had been handed over to the police.
She described Duma as a bubbly, outgoing person.
Provincial police spokesperson Nqobile Gwala confirmed that a body was found on Thursday.
“An inquest docket was opened in Point for investigation after a 23-yearold female drowned at South Beach. The circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated,” she said.
Madela called on anyone who might have information to come forward.
“We don’t know for sure how or why she died, but knowing what (happened) would bring us a lot of closure as a family. I do not believe that she drowned or went to the beach voluntarily because the video evidence clearly shows that she left the club under suspicious circumstances.
“We just want to know what really happened to her,” she said.
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