Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
‘No one is safe here’
Women gather at body dump site
MORE than 100 women dressed in black gathered yesterday at the spot where murdered 22-year-old Nomvuzo Atoli’s body was dumped.
The group then walked about 100m to a pool of blood, allegedly where Atoli was murdered, before she was dumped in a garbage container on Thursday.
Atoli’s voice was allegedly heard by people in homes along the narrow path where she is said to have been fighting off her assailant, screaming “kill me, it is what you do anyway so just go ahead and shoot me”.
The aspiring musician, who had hopes of becoming a police officer, was found just metres from where 17-year-old Amahle Quku’s body was found two months ago in Siyanyanzela informal settlement, in Browns Farm, Philippi.
Atoli’s distraught cousins described her as a “loving, humble and respectful young woman with a beautiful singing voice”.
Thobeka Putswana said: “She had a lovely voice, and she knew it. She was always singing, always happy and though she never liked fighting, she was someone who could be counted on to stand up for other people.
“She was also a fighter and we are certain that she fought for her life and gave whoever did this a hard time.”
“We are still in shock, we cannot accept this or come to terms with what has happened to her. She was dependable, trustworthy and though she was opinionated, she was very honest,” added another cousin Nandipha Shosha.
Ziyanda Ntsapho said: “(Atoli) made a living by braiding people’s hair, she loved it. She left home about three months ago to live with her boyfriend whom she is now fighting with so we are not sure where exactly she was living but she was in between places.”
Anelisa Yeni, a young woman from the community, said she did not feel safe in the area anymore.
“It is not safe here, but it seems to me like it is so bad that people have gotten used to it.
“Every day there is something; if it is not a murder, it’s rape or a mugging. No one is safe here,” she said.
Police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana said yesterday there were no new developments.
Phumela Buhlungu, SA National Civic Organisation member, said though she condemned vigilantism, she now has a clear understanding why communities take matters into their own hands.