According to Independent Online relatives went to the morgue two days later and identified the body of 19-year-old Nonkululeko Ngubeni as that of their missing family member.
A cousin stated that Ngubeni’s body was dumped in the veld after she had been strangled, rolled into a curtain and set alight.
Ngubeni originally told her father that she was going to go get her hair done before going to spend the night before New Year’s Eve with a friend. The next day, however, she failed to return home. Her phone was also switched off.
On New Year’s Day, her father discovered that she never made it to her friend’s house. He then filed a missing person’s report with police.
In the meantime, he received two messages from her cellphone number stating she was safe and that ‘I need to be alone for few days’.
A relative stated that the writing style used in the messages did not coincide with the style Ngubeni always used, which raised alarm bells with the family and fears for her safety.
Ngubeni’s boyfriend and one of her cousins have since been arrested for their suspected involvement in her death.
