Cross and flowers pay tribute to murdered woman
Members of the greater Florida Road and Morningside community have erected a cross and placed flowers at the vacant land where a homeless woman was murdered.
NOBODY knew her name, but that did not stop flower tributes from commemorating her life and death at the crime scene where a homeless woman was brutally murdered in the vacant land opposite Jameson Park on Tuesday.
Floral arrangements, bouquets of roses, chrysanthemums, gerber daisies and other beautiful flowers, some in pots have been laid at the foot of a white wooden cross to pay tribute to the homeless woman.
Leanne Nixon-James said she was proud that community members have rallied to do something special for the woman. “It’s good because people who are unknown should be honoured in some way. They shouldn’t be forgotten because they are significant. Everyone matters!” she said.
Chris Hurst, a manager of Gorgeous boutique on Florida Road across from the vacant land was delighted when she saw an active member of the community, Patrick Coetzee, erect a white wooden cross on the evening of the murder. “We had not closed the shop yet and saw him put up a cross and place a bouquet of flowers. I went and placed some flowers myself and a customer came along too, to pay tribute to her. She was a lonely soul who never bothered anyone always there, just going along with her business,” Hurst recalled.
Deeply troubled by the vicious attack, Hurst said she couldn’t understand how anyone would want to harm her. “She was so different, even though she was a homeless person, she was upright, never dirty and would tie her scarf around her head gracefully. She spoke quietly and just responded with one word to a greeting and loved walking. She would go across Musgrave Road just to throw away any dirt after eating. What happened to her is just shocking!”
Sele Ngcobo, manager of Vida e Caffe said the woman’s murder came as a huge shock to staff and regular customers who had all come to know the quiet woman. “I’m happy the community has come forward to remember her in this way because we all remember her fondly, never begging just walking past, she was nice and would only greet people,” he said.
Berea police detectives are working on leads and an arrest is imminent.
