Families seek answers as Ekurhuleni women’s deaths remain under investigation - IOL
The families of Dineo Evelyn Motapane and Itumeleng Kekana are united by grief and one painful question: how did their loved ones end up dead?
Motapane, 38, was found naked on the side of the road in KwaThema, Springs, while Kekana, 32, disappeared in Kempton Park before her body was discovered near the R21.
Their deaths come as nine women have now been found dead across Ekurhuleni since July, with police intensifying investigations into the cases.
A multidisciplinary team of investigators and specialists is working to establish the circumstances surrounding the deaths, determine whether there are links between the cases, and identify those responsible.
For the Motapane family, Dineo’s death has left a two-year-old girl without her mother.
Dineo was last seen alive on Sunday, September 13. Her family had not reported her missing when her body was discovered on September 15. She was positively identified at Springs Mortuary the following day.
Her sister, Phelisa, said the family last saw Dineo on Thursday, September 10, going about her normal routine.
“She was her normal self, doing what she normally does. Cleaning, walking in and out of the yard,” she said.
On Sunday evening, the family tried to contact Dineo after their uncle died, but her phone was already switched off.
“We assumed she'd come back,” Phelisa said.
When the family went to the mortuary, Phelisa said they were confronted with injuries they struggled to comprehend.
One side of Dineo’s hand had been burnt, while the family did not recognise what appeared to be an operation on her leg.
“Seeing her burnt on one side of her hand and an unknown operation on her leg was shocking and devastating,” she said.
Police confirmed Dineo’s body was found naked and in a state of decomposition.
Phelisa said investigators had told the family the case was being handled by a task team and that the lead investigator was keeping them informed.
But the family remains unable to understand why Dineo was killed.
“What did she do to anyone to warrant them killing her?”
The family is calling for justice for Dineo and the other women whose bodies have been found.
“Justice must prevail, not just for Dineo but for all women who are daily being found killed. Police visibility in our communities will also assist.”
For Itumeleng’s family, the pain came after 17 agonising days of searching before they learned that she was dead.
She disappeared on July 17 after leaving her sister’s spaza shop in Kempton Park.
Her brother, Themba, 44, had spoken to her that day. It was his birthday, and she called to wish him well.
“She sang for me; she was very happy that day. She told me to enjoy my day,” he said.
That was the last conversation he had with his younger sister.
Themba said the family searched police stations, hospitals, clinics, mortuaries, open fields, bushes, and dumping sites. He travelled from QwaQwa in the Free State to Kempton Park to join the search.
On August 3, the family was alerted that a woman’s body had been found near Great North Road in Pomona, Ekurhuleni. Police said she had suffered multiple stab wounds.
“We really didn't understand what had happened to her when we arrived at the scene. We couldn’t believe what we saw or what might have happened,” Themba said.
Itumeleng was buried in QwaQwa on August 22. Her 14-year-old daughter now lives with her grandparents and is struggling to come to terms with her mother’s death.
“The death of her mother, especially after we searched for her almost everywhere and later found her dead, has been very difficult for her to accept,” Themba said.
Police said in August that no suspect had been arrested in connection with Itumeleng’s murder and that the circumstances remained under investigation.
The family has asked police to examine CCTV footage near where her body was found.
“There is CCTV footage not far from where we found her body, and we hope the police will analyse the footage and help us understand what happened to her,” Themba said.
