PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - It was a dark Women’s Day for Plettenberg Bay when the body of a young local woman was discovered dumped near the N2 in New Horizons.
It has been established that the victim had also been raped before she was killed.
Plettenberg Bay police spokesperson Captain Marlene Pieterse said New Horizons residents made the grisly discovery on Thursday 9 August at about 11:30. The body was found in an open field next to the national road.
Although the woman had not yet been identified, a preliminary investigation revealed that she was about 28 years old.
“The investigation is in the early stages and there is no concrete information regarding this matter yet. At this stage the body has not yet been identified,” Pieterse said.
She added that three families had come forward to identify the body, but that the victim was unknown to them.
“Fingerprints have been taken and will be analysed.”
Cause of death
Pieterse said an autopsy had been carried out confirming that the cause of death was strangulation and confirmed that the victim had also been raped.
She added that the body had been taken into the care of the police forensic pathology services and police were investigating a case of murder and rape.
Pieterse asked that anyone with information about the incident please contact the detective, Sergeant Gilbert Bulawa, on 083 284 9359 or 044 501 1941.
In the meantime, there has been widespread outcry from locals about the incident. One resident, Trevor Mapitiza, turned to social media to call on men to take a stand against these horrific crimes being committed against women.
“It is time for us men to stand up and protect our society,” Mapitiza’s wrote.
He added that he wanted to organise a #MenStandTall march to address these issues.
“We are going to be marching as men to stand tall against the raping and murdering of our women and children.”
Details about the march will be released in due course.
'We bring you the latest Plettenberg Bay, Garden Route news'
