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As the nation celebrates Women’s Month, police made a somber discovery on the N1 highway in Parys earlier this week.
Local police retrieved the lifeless body of an unidentified woman in her 30s, and have launched an inquest into the circumstances surrounding her tragic death.
According to police spokesperson Sergeant Josephine Rani, the incident unfolded on Monday, 14 August 2023, at around 6:35pm.
“Members of the farming community were actively engaged in efforts to extinguish a veld fire along the N1 highway when they stumbled upon a grim scene.
“The naked body of an African female, believed to be around 30 years old, lay on the roadside. It is reported the deceased showed visible injuries on her legs,” she said.
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Rani said emergency services were summoned to the scene, with the woman certified dead upon their arrival.
“Local law enforcement authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances leading to her death,” Rani said.
Detective Warrant Officer Jaco Venter, who is spearheading the investigation, urged anyone with information about the woman or the events leading to her death to come forward.
On Friday, Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, release the country’s crime stats for the period April to June 2023. It reported a drop in murder cases by 3.1 % to 196, and a decrease in sexual offences.
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But analysts have argued the actual figures are much higher.
Gender-based violence activist, Mpho Thethani, said the decrease proved a disturbing trend in law enforcement.
“More people are not coming forward to report these cases.
“I’m not saying we would like to see an increase, but we need to understand, based on the history of convictions, the less convictions we have, the less people are likely to report because they don’t trust the system,” Thethani added
Additional reporting by Reitumetse Makwea.