Karatara killing of loved resident shocks community

KARATARA NEWS - The murder of a young mother of three, Charmaine Oelf, last week has left the small community of Bergvallei on the outskirts of Karatara reeling.

According to Southern Cape police spokesperson Sgt Chris Spies, Oelf's body was found by a member of the community on Saturday morning.

"Preliminary investigations indicate that the half-naked body of the victim was found by a member of the public on Saturday 18 September at about 11:45. She was later declared dead by paramedics on scene," Spies said.

He added that the motive behind her killing is unknown and forms part of the ongoing investigation.

Oelf's brother-in-law said he believed she had a wound at the back of her head, which Spies confirmed. Spies did however state that following the autopsy on Monday 20 September, the cause of death was determined to have been strangulation, and the case is therefore being treated as a murder.

Body found

"When we found her she had her pants around her ankles and her shirt over her head, and you could see a hole from a knife through the shirt," said Marius Schoeman, Oelf's brother-in-law and one of the first people to lay eyes on her body.

According to Schoeman, Oelf was last seen on the night of Friday 17 September. "We had been playing dominos and were all having a good time. While she usually does drink a bit with us, she didn't drink that night and went home," he said. "In the morning we did not see her anywhere but were not worried just yet."

However, the tragedy came to light on the morning of Saturday 18 September. "My sister sent her children to go and get wood to stoke the donkey for hot water, but they ran back home and said they saw someone lying in the field," Schoeman explained.

"My brother-in-law then saw Charmaine but wasn't sure it was her. He called me and I came to check and realised it was Charmaine."

Oelf's body was found on a clear patch of ground with her face lying in a puddle of water, not far from a path that is commonly used by residents of the area. "We feel like the people who did this left her body here because they wanted her to be seen," Schoeman said.

Police crime scene tape on a fence where access was blocked off to the spot where Oelf's body was found. Photo: Blake Linder

A terrified community

Oelf's murder has sent shock waves through the small community of Bergvallei. "People are terrified. They do not want to go anywhere. The ladies in our community are too scared to walk to work, and even if they're in a group, they still ask a man to walk with them," said Schoeman.

"We don't even want to send our children to school anymore because the murderer is still out there."

The community believe they have an idea of who Oelf's killer might be, and believe he was arrested but later let go. Spies, however, said a number of men were questioned following the murder. "No arrests have been made," he said.

Charmaine Oelf's mother and three children in front of Oelf's now empty house. From left: Cherrol Oelf, Justino Oelf, Chamodine Oelf and Amy Oelf. Photo: Blake Linder

Who was Charmaine Oelf?

According to Schoeman, Oelf (30) was a beloved member of the community. "Everybody loved her, she was a wonderful person and she had no enemies whatsoever," he said. Oelf has lived in Karatara for most of her life, and moved to the Bergvallei community at a later stage.

She did farm work in the area.

She was one of three children, with one brother, Ashwell Oelf, and one sister, Elretta Schoeman (neé Oelf). Oelf was a single mother to three children - Justino Oelf (1), Amy Oelf (6), and Chamodine Oelf (11). Her children will now be taken cared of by Oelf's mother Cherrol as well as her sister and her family, in addition to the two fathers of the children.

The father of Charmaine Oelf's youngest child, Justin Kachimanga, with their child Justino Oelf. Photo: Blake Linder