The mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of a young woman at the Warriors Academy in Magoebaskloof has sent shock waves through the local community and residents are fearing for their lives at night.

Atarah Katzeff (22) was found dead in her room at the academy on the farm Franschoek on Sunday, July 28.

Letaba Herald can confirm that the suspected cause of death at this stage in the investigation is strangulation and the investigation has changed from that of an inquest to a murder investigation.

Katzeff, from Cape Town, was a staff member at Warriors Academy and has been there for the past three years.

She completed the gap year programme in 2022 and completed the multiactivity adventure instructor programme last year, before joining Warriors Academy as a junior facilitator at the beginning of the year.

Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, media liaison for the police in Limpopo, confirmed on Tuesday that a case of murder is being investigated.

“Initially an inquest was opened. After the results from the autopsy and postmortem were received by the investigating officer, the inquest was changed to murder,” said Ledwaba.

He said that the suspected cause of death is strangulation and confirmed that the case is being investigated by the police in Haenertsburg.

According to sources who were at the crime scene, Katzeff’s room was in pristine condition, with no signs of forced entry, and nothing was stolen from the premises.

Rudi Viljoen, the owner of Warriors Academy, said they do not know who the perpetrators are. “Her death is under investigation, and it is a sensitive issue. She was like a daughter in our house and was employed by us.”

Rowena Viljoen-Van Schalkwyk, the programme director at Warriors Academy, and René Viljoen, the training director at Warriors Academy, attended Katzeff’s funeral on Sunday in Cape Town and returned to Magoebaskloof on Monday.

“We do not know why, who or what happened. We want answers,” said Viljoen-Van Schalkwyk.

The family has appointed Privadect (Pty) Ltd, an internationally recognised private investigation company to investigate Katzeff’s death.

Privadect adheres to a strict policy of nondisclosure of any information while conducting an investigation.

Anyone with information is urged to visit Privadect’s website, where anonymous tip-offs can be logged.

On Monday evening, a community meeting for Magoebaskloof (Sector 5) was held to discuss security and safety in the area.