Another woman found dead in Kimberley shack

THE BODY of another 31-year-old woman was found inside a shanty at Santa Centre settlement in Galeshewe this week, prompting a police murder investigation.

She is believed to have been killed over the weekend following a quarrel with her partner.

Her naked body was reportedly found on a bed with apparent stab wounds.

Neighbours who queried the source of an overwhelming smell were apparently told that they were smelling a dead mouse.

This follows the discovery of the body of Pinky Khonkhobe, 31, buried in a shallow grave inside a shanty in Bobo se Plaas settlement in Lerato Park a month ago.

Operation Wanya Tsotsi chairperson Pantsi Obusitse said members of the community crime-fighting group apprehended a suspect on the evening of October 27 after he allegedly fled the scene. 

“We started looking for him on Tuesday after learning about the incident. We caught him in the CBD and handed him over to the police. The suspect was apparently trying to flee to the Eastern Cape.”

Obusitse said the suspect was carrying a knife that appeared to be covered in blood, as well as a piece of rope. He believed the suspect intended to take his own life. 

SAPS Northern Cape spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Thabo Litabe said a family member discovered the body on October 27 at about 10.20am and informed the police.

“Galeshewe SAPS are investigating the murder of a 31-year-old woman after her body was apparently found inside a shanty at Santa Centre settlement in Galeshewe. Investigations are ongoing,” he said.

Litabe could not confirm any arrest at the time of publication.

Meanwhile, Lungelo Novukelo, 29, who was arrested in connection with Khonkhobe’s murder, abandoned his bail application this week.

Khonkhobe’s body was discovered on September 30 after members of Operation Wanya Tsotsi noticed loose soil inside the shanty and alerted the police.

Novukelo was arrested two weeks later, on October 14, while hiding under a bed in Ivory Park, Gauteng, during an intelligence-driven operation involving law enforcement officials from Gauteng and the Northern Cape.

The multidisciplinary team included SAPS members from the Ivory Park Task Team, Ivory Park Visible Policing, Alexandra Crime Intelligence and Roodepan Detectives, as well as private security personnel.

Community members packed the courtroom when Novukelo appeared in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court on October 27, where he opted not to proceed with a scheduled bail application.

The matter was postponed until December 14.

Emang Basadi Women in Power chairperson Boipelo Zobane welcomed the fact that the accused would remain in custody.

“The community would have killed him if he was granted bail. We want to make sure that there is not another woman who suffers the same fate as Pinky Khonkhobe, ever again.”

She added that, while the autopsy had been completed, the bereaved family was still awaiting the post-mortem report and DNA results.

“The family are unsettled and cannot find closure until they are able to lay her to rest in a dignified manner. The matter has dragged on for far too long. It is unacceptable and painful for the family. We will take it upon ourselves if the matter is not expedited.”

Zobane indicated that they had staged a sit-in at the Department of Health on October 16 to fast-track the autopsy.

“If government does not do their work, we are coming after them,” she warned.