Separate incidents of rape and murder in the same Eastern Cape village – SABC News

The community of Mqhekwezeni village, outside Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, is reeling in shock following the brutal murder of two elderly women, 74-year-old traditional leader Nogcinile Mtirara and 80-year-old retired nurse Nonceba Timakhwe.

In the same village, five students were raped and robbed of their belongings while preparing for their exams. Mtirara was known for speaking out against gender-based violence and stock theft in the area.

Villagers gathered at the deceased’s two farms to offer their condolences.

The brutal murder of Nogcinile Mtirara has shocked residents. She is described as a social activist who opposed criminal activities in villages.

Family spokesperson Mandlonke Mdazuka says they are devastated and shocked by Mtirara’s untimely death.

“We have received information that Uma Nogcinile has been killed. It is alleged that two heavily armed assailants broke in and claimed the whereabouts of Nogcinile’s son. When she refused to point out her son’s whereabouts, they shot her dead. We are very shocked.”

The community is outraged by the killing of their leader and has called on the government to act quickly and arrest the perpetrators.

Community member Thamsanqa Phillips says the justice system continues to fail them.

“The government abandoned us long ago. We have called the police or a police station here, but nothing comes up. These criminals kill people and never take accountability for what they have done in the community. Why do we have to suffer, why do we have to be killed, why are no police deployed here? This is bad and traumatic.”

Not far from the Mqhekezweni Great Place, Mtirara homestead, a lifeless body of 80-year-old retired nurse Nonceba Timakhwe was discovered lying in a pool of blood.

Timakhwe’s brother, Sizwe Nyembenya, described the incident as shocking.

“We are shocked, but we know the government will do nothing about this, where otherwise in the world criminals would be arrested and given legal assistance. So we are very disappointed with the justice system.”

In the same village, five students were raped and robbed. The landlord where the victims rented explains what happened.

“Two armed assailants entered the room, one suspect demanded mobile phones from the girls, he then started taking turns to rape five girls. The sixth girl told him she had her period, the seventh told him she was pregnant and the eight simply asked for forgiveness. We are traumatized and the girls are traumatized.”

The Eastern Cape government has condemned the murder and rape incident.

Provincial government spokesperson Khuselwa Rantjie said the government had sent a team of high-level investigators to investigate the matter.

“The Eastern Cape has sent high-level multidisciplinary teams. These teams will provide support to rape victims and the families of the deceased. The team consists of social development, education and police officers. The students were taken to a safe place for checks. The police have also formed a team to investigate these incidents.”

Residents of Mqhekezweni are calling for increased police deployment as cases of gender-based violence and stock theft continue to rise in the area.