A 17-year-old secondary school student, Owami Visagie, was raped and murdered allegedly by her cousin in Gauteng, South Africa.
The Grade 11 learner was last
seen going to extra classes on Sunday, March 24, 2024, and was later found dead
at her cousin's house in Refilwe in Cullinan, east of Pretoria.
Gauteng MEC of Education,
Matome Chiloane, who confirmed the incident in a statement on Wednesday, March
27, said he was devastated to hear the news of the pupil.
The MEC's Spokesperson Steve
Mabona says the victim was a learner at the Chipa-Tabane Secondary School in
Refilwe.
He says according to
information at their disposal, Visagie attended extra classes over the weekend,
including Sunday.
Visagie left her house on
Sunday morning and by 6 pm when she was still not home, her mother filed a missing
person’s report.
Mabona says it was established
that the victim was last seen with her cousin.
He says by Monday morning they
went to the cousin’s house where Owami's body was discovered.
The 30-year-old suspect handed
himself over on Monday night and appeared in the Bronkhorstspruit Magistrate’s
Court on Wednesday.
Visagie's uncle, Peter Mthethwa
expressed disbelief and rejection of the suspect, saying he cannot accept him
as family or allow him into their house.
“I cannot accept him as my
family. I can't let him in my house. I won't. If the police release him I won't
go next to him. I don't want to see him again,” he said. “It's the first time
we see this. It's something we never expected.
They were so close that even
the girl's mother used to leave him with her when she went anywhere and tell
them to wash the dishes when done eating,”
“All he said was, ‘I didn’t do
it. He ran away because he was afraid that when the community caught him they
were going to kill him, that's what he said."
Meanwhile, police spokesperson,
Lt. Col Mavela Masondo on Thursday, said the case has been at Cullinan police
station.
He confirmed that the suspect
handed himself in to the police, adding that he made an appearance in court on
Wednesday.
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