Amahle Quku’s mother learnt about her 17-year-old daughter’s murder on Facebook.
The Grade 11 Sinethemba High School pupil lived in Philippi’s Siyanyanzela informal settlement, where she also went by the name “Pretty”.
Last Saturday, Amahle’s bruised and naked body was found not far from her home on Saturday.
Sheets covered her body and residents stood about in shock when Vukani arrived on the scene a few hours after the grim discovery.
Police have arrested a 25-year-old man in connection with the girl’s death.
Residents demolished the home of a man they accused of protecting the suspect by calling the police to arrest him.
The discovery of Amahle’s body sparked protests in the community on Monday, and residents barricaded roads, voicing their anger and frustration.
The girl’s mother, Mandulele Quku, told Vukani she had learnt of her child’s death after seeing pictures of her body on Facebook.
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The 48-year-old mother of three said her daughter left the house after 5pm last Friday. It was the last time she saw her alive.
The following day, her son told her a girl’s body had been found, and he showed her the images on Facebook.
“It is extremely sad that my daughter was brutally killed like that,” she said. “We have no idea why she was killed. When her brother showed me the pictures to see if it was her or not, deep down, I kind of knew that this was her, but I did not want him to know that it was her. My daughter was not a problematic child.”
She said the man alleged to have killed her daughter was familiar to her.
The unemployed mother lives by selling traditional beer, umqombothi, and has appealed to the public to help the family bury Amahle. She said they had lost their funeral cover after her husband had lost his job.
Ms Quku said she wanted her daughter’s killer to face the full wrath of the law.
Resident Nokuthula Kwakha said Amahle’s killing was a heinous act, and residents wanted the police to hand the suspect over to them so they could deal with him.
Provincial police spokeswoman Sergeant Noloyiso Rwexana said the 25-year-old man had been arrested on a charge of murder and had appeared in court last Monday.