Hospice nursing sister murdered
The murder of a 63-year-old Plettenberg Bay local has sent shockwaves through the usually tranquil community after her naked and bruised body was discovered in her home in a secure country estate this week.
Knysna Sedgefield Hospice nurse Penny Cumming’s body was discovered by a friend on the floor of her residence in the Schoongezigt Country Estate in Piesang Valley Road, Plettenberg Bay at about 05:00 on Monday 29 January.
Police spokesperson Captain Malcolm Pojie said Cumming’s friend informed police of her grisly discovery and shortly thereafter a team from the Kwanokuthula police station was sent to the scene of the crime.
Pojie said Cumming’s body was found with multiple bruises on her body and neck, which led police to believe that she may have been strangled, but that an autopsy would be carried out to confirm the cause of death.
Social media rumours that the victim had been raped would also have to be confirmed by autopsy results, he said.
The victim’s home was found ransacked and it was discovered that her Volvo SUV had been stolen.
The vehicle was found in Nekkies in Knysna later that day. It had been set alight and partially destroyed.
Car impounded as evidence
“The fire brigade was called upon for assistance and to put the fire out, however, it was partially damaged due to the extensive fire. The car was then impounded as evidence,” Pojie said.
CCTV footage from the estate showed a suspect leaving the area in Cumming’s vehicle, he said, and the still images from the footage were then circulated through various avenues. It is believed the suspect left the estate using the victim’s access card.
Pojie further said that the owner of a Plett security company managed to obtain “vital information” about the suspect’s whereabouts.
Plettenberg Bay Crime Prevention Association (PBCPA) operations head Otto Olivier said during a combined operation with Kwanokuthula police, Bitou Law Enforcement and the PBCPA the suspect was arrested.
Pojie said the information was followed up by a search of the area, and the suspect was found near a school in Kwanokuthula where he had been “hiding”.
The suspect, believed to be about 25 years old, was positively linked to the crime through CCTV footage and forensic evidence found on the crime scene, Pojie said. The suspect is expected to appear in the Plettenberg Bay Magistrate’s Court on
Thursday 1 February.
In the meantime, there has been speculation about how the suspect gained access to the estate as it is known for its strict security measures.
Security company in spotlight
Cumming’s brother-in-law Craig Hicks posted on social media that the home’s alarm went off twice during the hours before her body was found and that security officers had visited the premises but reported that nothing was amiss on all three occasions. Smhart Alarms Plettenberg Bay has since said that rumours about the company with regard to the Schoongezigt murder were being spread across social media and that these were untrue and unfounded. “In a sensitive case like this, Smhart will not give any information except to the detectives who are handling the case. Smhart will give a statement once the investigation is concluded. Understand that false information could damage this case and Smhart would be the last people to cause this perpetrator to get away scot-free due to information leaks and false information,” the company said in a statement on their Facebook page.
In the meantime, neighbours and other Schoongezigt residents said they were rattled and shocked by the incident.
“We have been living here for almost a decade and feel safe in the estate. Nothing like this has ever happened, so hearing about this horrific incident has left us on edge,” said resident Ancia Bartlett.
She explained that all workers in the complex have to “sign in” with their fingerprints and that an ID photograph had to be on file in order for them to enter. Visitors also need to sign in at the security gate and that officers usually check with residents if they expect the particular visitor.
‘Inside job,’ believes neighbour
Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said they also felt safe in the estate and often slept with their windows and doors unlocked. This, she said, would now change. “We are all shocked that something so horrific could happen in this beautiful and tranquil place.”
She added that she believes the incident to be an inside job.
In the meantime, local resident Gay Clark has called on the Bitou community to gather at the Plettenberg Bay Magistrate’s Court on Thursday morning in a show of support as well as appreciation.
“We as a community need to stand together in support of the victim and her family and show our appreciation of the police and others involved in the arrest, as well as support the prosecutor in the matter,” Clark said. A short comment was received by Hospice: “The staff and patients of Knysna Sedgefield Hospice are devastated by the tragic death of Sister Penny Cumming. Our sympathies are with her husband and family during this difficult time.”