DNA confirms burnt body is Donelle ‘Mishka’ Links as heartbroken father prepares to bury his daughter

Ask AI 3minDonelle "Mishka" Links

The agonising wait for answers has ended in heartbreak for the family of 29-year-old Donelle “Mishka” Links, after DNA results positively identified her as the victim whose burnt body was discovered in Tafelsig, Mitchells Plain, earlier this month.

According to information provided by the family, the DNA results confirmed Links’s identity with 99.9% accuracy, bringing an end to days of uncertainty during which her loved ones desperately clung to hope that she was still alive.

Her father, Donald Fortune, said that although he had feared the worst, particularly after hearing that his daughter had allegedly last been seen with one of the accused, he never stopped believing she might return home.

“I made peace with it, even though there was a feeling because he was last seen with her, I still held onto faith,” Fortune said.

“Now we leave it in God’s hands, and the main thing is to give her a dignified funeral.”

For Fortune, one of the most painful realities is accepting that his daughter was murdered in the very streets where she grew up surrounded by people who knew and loved her.

He said it was difficult to comprehend that such a brutal crime could have happened in a community where she was familiar to so many residents.

But perhaps the family’s most heartbreaking challenge still lies ahead.

Fortune revealed that Links leaves behind a three-year-old child who has been constantly asking where mommy is.

The family has not yet found the strength to explain that she will not be coming home.

Fortune said that while he was grateful his daughter had finally been found, the confirmation brought little comfort knowing that she was no longer with them.

He appealed to the community to continue keeping the family in their prayers as they prepare to lay her to rest.

Just days earlier, Fortune had stood outside the Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s Court pleading with residents to stop circulating RIP messages and claiming that the burnt remains belonged to his daughter before DNA results were available.

Fortune previously described Links as a respectful, cheerful young woman who always had a smile on her face and loved playing the song One Love.

He recalled how she would frequently visit relatives, prepare something to eat and spend time with her cousins.

Her body was discovered burnt beyond recognition near the corner of Hugenote Street and AZ Berman Drive on Saturday, 17 October.

The discovery sparked widespread outrage and violent unrest in Tafelsig, with residents burning tyres and throwing stones as police deployed stun grenades to restore order.

Two men, Ronald Yon and Virgil Rossouw, subsequently appeared in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s Court on a charge of murder.

Both remain in custody after being denied bail, with the matter postponed to 17 November 2026.

As they prepare to bury her, the family continues to ask for prayers and strength to face the devastating loss and for the little child still asking when mommy is coming home.

Meanwhile the body of another woman was discovered in Thames Avenue on Monday 26 October.

Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed Manenberg police registered an inquest for investigation after the body of a 36 year old female was found .

“The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation. A post-mortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death.”