The bereaved family of Nonkululeko Gabriella ‘Gaby’ Ndaba (32), who went missing and was later found dead in Boksburg, is still agonising over her death and the circumstances surrounding her senseless murder.

Gaby went missing on May 26 and was found under the N17 bridge on Barry Marais Road, near Van Dyk Park east of Johannesburg, last month. There were no visible injuries on her body.

Her father, Bernard Stander, says after Gaby did not return from a walk on May 26, they reported her missing at the Dawn Park Police Station the next day.

“The police opened a missing person’s case but didn’t bother to initiate a search operation,” he says.

“We had to go look for her ourselves. I believe that if the police had helped and initiated a search operation, my daughter would have been found alive. We strongly believe she was kidnapped. An eyewitness confirmed this.

“The eyewitness said he saw a white double-cab Ford Ranger making a speedy U-turn and then head in Gaby’s direction. He suspects these people were after her,” Stander explains.

Gaby’s mother, Ntombifuthi, says her daughter normally goes out for walks during the week as part of her training and meditation routine.

“We think the people who killed her were tracking her movements because they left her near one of her walking routes.

“Her socks were the only thing missing at the crime scene. Nothing else had been taken. We were called to the scene by security officers, who were the first to arrive, to identify the body. Some of Gaby’s belongings had been placed next to her body,” says Ntombifuthi.

After Gaby’s body was found, the case of a missing person escalated to one of kidnapping and murder.

The family has not heard anything further about the investigation from the police, including the autopsy report and what they found on Gaby’s cellphone.

“My daughter had a good heart and was philanthropic. I was expecting a lot of good things from her in the future.

“She wouldn’t speak ill of other people and was on a path of self-discovery. I wonder why this had to happen to her,” says the grieving mom.

Gaby’s sister, Witney, says before her sister died, she was happy with life and taking up new adventures as a film director, writer, and actress.

Anyone with information about the murder of Gaby can call her father, Bernard, on 082 648 9010 or the investigating officer, Constable Sibusiso Zwane, on 011 862 8006.