The Gardee family, friends, community, EFF members and governmental dignitaries gathered at Church on the Hill in KaMagugu outside Mbombela yesterday to pay their last respects to Hillary Gardee.

She was buried at the cemetery in Rocky Drift, White River, just outside Mbombela.

Godrich Gardee, Hillary’s father, described how her body had been found and echoed what most of the speakers described her as: a fighter.

Continuing with his final words to his daughter, whom he referred to as beautiful, Godrich said, “It never occurred to me and your loved ones that we would have to identify you in a bush lying face down with your hands clutching on grass and shrubs fighting for your life.”

Some speakers such as the minister of police, Bheki Cele, the EFF president, Julius Malema, and the Mpumalanga premier, Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, condemned violence against women and said justice should be served against the perpetrators.

Music items were rendered to pay tribute to the late Hillary by well-known singers such as Dr Rebecca Malope, Dr Tumi, Mmatema Moremi, Pretty, Sphokazi, Sipho Ngwenya and Lebo Sekgobela.