Dark day for Cape Town after three women murdered just hours apart

The body of Miche Samuels was recovered at the murder scene in Ottery Road after she was allegedly stabbed to death by her husband. Picture: Tracey Adams/African News Agency (ANA)

The body of Miche Samuels was recovered at the murder scene in Ottery Road after she was allegedly stabbed to death by her husband. Picture: Tracey Adams/African News Agency (ANA)

Published Mar 7, 2021

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Thursday, March 4, was a dark day for Cape Town. Three women were murdered in the city on the same day, just hours apart, as gender-based violence continues.

The first murder scene was at Disa Crescent, Sanddrift, Milnerton where the body of a 70-year-old woman, identified as Schanette Willemse, was discovered inside her bathtub just after 8am.

Her car and her dog were missing from the scene.

The murder has spread fear and shock across the close-knit community where Willemse was a shopowner and money lender.

She ran the shop from her home and employed a local resident to run the business during the day following a hip operation.

Willemse lived alone with her dog.

The police found her car in the Sanddrift area later the same day.

Willemse’s next door neighbour, Gavin Assure, said he knew the woman for more than 20 years and noticed a suspicious-looking man at her house before her death.

“I was her neighbour for more than 21 years,” said Assure.

“She owned a shop, which she ran from her home.

“When she became ill after her operation, she had a lady from the community running the shop during the day.

“She was very helpful with food and money for people.

“I noticed this week that something is not right as no-one goes to her place after 8pm and she has two security gates,” he said.

“You needed to shout to her if you wanted her to open her door.

“She would only have opened her doors and gates to someone she knew.

“I saw a man there in the week, he was inside and at one stage had a TV in his hands which I thought perhaps he was fixing.

“Then on Thursday when the lady that works in the shop went into the house, she found her, there was blood splatter everywhere and the car and the dog were missing.”

Police spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk said the woman was found dead inside the bathtub.

“The victim was found lying in the bathroom in the bath with water in.

“Some items and the deceased’s vehicle were gone from the house.

“The vehicle was found later that day in the Sanddrift area.”

A post-mortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death the police said.

The police were called to a second murder scene along Ottery Road in Wynberg where they found the body of Miche Samuels, 35, inside her red Fiat.

Miche was stabbed while she was driving the car.

Her one-year-old child was sitting in the backseat of the vehicle at the time of the incident.

The child was unharmed.

Samuels’ car collided with another after she was stabbed.

Images and videos of the murder scene went viral on social media.

Samuels’ husband, 39, has since been arrested for the murder moments after the incident after motorists chased after him.

The man, a Bangladeshi national, cannot be identified until he makes his first appearance in court on Monday.

The couple were married for seven years according to family members.

Samuels was the breadwinner while the husband was unemployed after owning a few shops.

The couple lived in Parkwood.

Samuels’ father, Daniel Beck said they were too traumatised to speak yesterday.

“We do not want to be disturbed right now.”

While another relative, who asked not to be identified, said they were in shock.

“She was such a down to earth person and she always strived to do better.

“She was the breadwinner of the family and the husband apparently had a gambling problem.

“I cannot say if they had any issues in their marriage where violence was concerned.

“We are still in a state of shock.”

Van Wyk urged anyone with more information about the incident to contact Detective Sergeant Frederick Abrahams on 021 799 1400 or Crime Stop on 08600 10111.

A third murder scene was visited by the police in Claredon Close, in Sherwood Park, Atlantis where the naked body of an unknown woman believed to be in her 30s was found.

The police have yet to determine the cause of death and whether she was raped.

While ward councillor, Barbara Rass, said they were shocked by the incident after a decrease in gender-based violence in the area.

“This woman is believed not to be of the Sherwood community, for now, she is unknown to us,” said Rass.

“We are devastated because that particular area had once been a dumping ground for female murders.

“In 2012, they found the body of Liezel Wagner, who was pregnant and beaten to death.

“That murder has never been solved.

“People took pictures of this woman lying there naked and placed it on social media, this is creating monsters out there who feed off violence like this and do not respect the person’s dignity and rights.”

Van Wyk said they would conduct a post-mortem to determine the cause of death and had opened a case docket for murder.