Siphelele Nketo
INCIDENTS of murder against women in the community of Kokstad, KwaZulu-Natal, have sparked deep concern with members of the public who are calling for immediate action against perpetrators. This follows two murder cases involving women that were opened at the Kokstad police station.
The first woman to be found dead was Okuhle Wattson Nkosiyaphantsi (27) who was last seen on August 24 in Shayamoya. Her body was discovered by a local resident on August 30 next to the Mzintlava River in Kokstad. Her body had several stab wounds on the chest and was cut open from the neck straight down to the stomach. Her father, Phambili, identified the body this week and said that identifying the body was a traumatic experience he had never before encountered in his life.
“The body was severely bruised,” said Phambili. Nkosiyaphantsi was a first-year student at a local college in Kokstad, and was the mother of two children—a boy and a girl.
Meanwhile, another woman (40) was murdered in Horseshoe. She was found dead in her room on September 2. There were stab wounds on her head and leg, and the body was bruised. Around her body, there were empty bottles of beer, broken into pieces. Police confirmed that cases of murder were established to find justice for the victims.
SAPS spokesperson Mosa Hlaki said police have launched an investigation into the murder of Nkosiyaphantsi. With regards to the woman found killed in her room, Hlaki confirmed the arrest of the deceased’s boyfriend on Sunday, September 6. The man appeared in the Kokstad Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday for the murder charge. However, outcomes of the court appearance were not available at the time of going to print. The suspect remains in custody. Nkosiyaphansi will be laid to rest on Saturday, September 12, at Upper Brooksnek in Mount Ayliff.
