Cleansing ceremony for slain woman

Ngcwalisa Kwatshana's mother Nompucuko Kwatshana could not hold back the tears.

Nompucuko Kwatshana, the mother of Ngcwalisa Kwatshana, who was killed a fortnight ago, wept silently when she visited an open space where the lifeless body of her daughter was found dumped in in Gugulethu behind Lwazi Primary School.

Ngcwalisa’s body was found with a rock lodged on her face and lying in a pool of her own blood. Her face and head been stoned repeatedly.

It is believed that the 35-year-old mother of two was abducted from her home in Langa where she lived with her boyfriend by two unknown men. At the time of her abduction, her boyfriend was allegedly drunk.

Ilitha Labantu together with bishops and pastors accompanied the family last Friday to collect her spirit from where she took her last breath. The family also performed a cleansing ceremony in an effort to get some form of closure.

Ms Kwatshana said it has not yet sunk in that her daughter had been killed in such a brutal manner. She said it seems as if the killers had a personal issue against her daughter.

Ms Kwatshana said her daughter had been living with her in the Eastern Cape for years . But she said towards the end of last year Ngcwalisa opted to come to Cape Town in search of better job opportunities.

However, she said she never anticipated in her wildest dreams that one day she would be forced to come and fetch the body of her child.

Ms Kwatshana, who had been diagnosed with a heart condition, said her daughter had been her pillar of strength and every time she visited Cape Town for medical check-up she always motivated her.

She said she does not have the slightest idea of how she is going to tell her grandchildren that their mother had been brutally killed for no valid reason. “I just don’t know how to describe the pain that I feel. I hope God reveals the killers of my daughter so that they can face the wrath of the law.

“What has my daughter done to deserve to be killed this way? I hope those who killed my daughter at night could be revealed in the day light. I know that for those who killed my daughter their days are coming,” she said.

Ms Kwatshana described her first-born daughter as a quiet person who normally spent most of her time indoors.

She urged the police and community at large to play an active role in ensuring that the killers of her daughter are apprehended.

Standing next to his sister, Gcobani Kwetshana, said he first saw the pictures on social media of a woman who was raped and killed. He said while he was shocked to see someone being killed in such a gruesome way, it never crossed his mind that this might be his niece.

A tearful Mr Kwetshana said his niece would be laid to rest in Cacadu in the Eastern Cape. “At the state mortuary we were not allowed to see her because of her condition. That means these people wanted to ensure that she was dead,” he said.

Founder of Ilitha Labantu, Mandisa Monakali, said no one should lose a child like this. She said children are expected to be the ones who bury their parents, not the other way around.

Ms Monakali said violence against women and children should stop.