Fear rules Khayelitsha crime scene
HER brutal murder shocked the nation and brought genderbased violence in South Africa under the spotlight and a year later, SST section residents in Khayelitsha, where Sinoxolo Mafevuka was killed, still live in fear.
The 19-year-old Mafevuka was raped, killed and dumped in a communal toilet on March 1 last year. Her naked body was found about 200m from her SST block home in Khayelitsha on March 2. The teenager’s clothes were scattered around the toilet and some were found in a cistern.
Two men were arrested three days after the Cape Times had reported on how police were dragging their feet in making progress, while the service acted swiftly in arresting suspects in connection with the murder of Franziska Blöchliger, 16, in Tokai Forest. She had been raped and killed days prior to Mafevuka’s murder.
Two of the four suspects arrested in possession of items stolen from Blöchliger received a suspended sentence. Postmortem results from pathologists showed Mafevuka had died as a result of strangulation. During a visit to SST section yesterday, residents said the wounds caused by Mafevuka’s death were still fresh.
Mafevuka’s family moved out of the informal settlement to start a new life. Her sister, Nokubonga, said: “We were badly hurt (by Sinoxolo’s death). We don’t understand how she left us. She was our everything. We could not do anything without her. We did not feel free when we stayed there.
“We wanted to start a new life and we feel better where we are now. We did not feel safe, especially at night. It felt like what happened to Sino could happen to one of us.”
Aviwe Stenge, Mafevuka’s friend and neighbour, said in spite of new toilets being installed, young girls still had to walk about 200m at night to make use of them.
“We miss her dearly. One of the things I miss about her was when she would shout my name and I would shout back before going to school. We would have random conversations and sing in church.
“The last day I saw her was a day before she was killed. We had spent most of the day together, like we normally did, and it all seemed like nothing would have happened to her because we were so happy,” said Stenge.
Resident Samela Nkungani, who lives near the toilets, said some residents opted to use buckets at night as they did not feel safe. “The scars are still fresh. Every time you use these toilets at night, you think of that incident. It would be a good thing if we are removed from this area. Women like myself, who live alone, are targets.”