Ph
Philippi community leaders and outraged residents are urging those who last saw Nomvuzo Atoli, 22, to come forward and provide information that could lead to the arrest of her killers.
Atoli’s body was found discarded in a dumpster on Thursday morning on the bank of a dam in Siyanyanzela informal settlement, not far from where the body of 17-year-old Amahle Quku was found two months ago.
Family members and the community were left reeling after receiving news of the young woman’s untimely death via Facebook early on Thursday.
According to community leader Mandisa Ncwadi, Atoli was last seen with friends who were out drinking. Ncwadi said there is also speculation that Atoli was stoned using large rocks between the crowded shacks and her body dragged and then dumped in the dumpster alongside the dam on Wednesday evening.
Ncwadi, accompanied by colleagues, visited Atoli’s friends to obtain more information on details leading to her untimely death.
“We wanted to find out exactly what happened the night Nomvuzo was killed but sadly her friends told us that they didn’t know. They only told us that while they were drinking on Wednesday, an argument broke out between Nomvuzo and a male friend after which they left to go sleep and saw nothing else.”
Atoli’s aunt Ntombizandile Atoli said that she found out about her niece’s death when she was awoken by neighbours, who told her that her niece’s body was found.
“The last I had heard of her she had been at her friend’s shack, but when we asked the friend what had happened, she told us that she didn’t know because she had gone home to sleep. I know something bad happened. I just don’t understand how her friends could have left her, the story does not make sense,” the aunt said.
Police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana said Nyanga police are investigating murder.
“Police were alerted to the discovery of the deceased by the community, upon their arrival they found her at a dumping site with head injuries.”
