Mystery deepens over Thamaga roadside murder

Tlotlo Kebinakgabo | Thursday December 22, 2016 14:50

The woman’s death exploded onto social media over the weekend, with reports that she had been found wrapped up and with apparent burn marks, ostensibly from her assailant(s), who wanted to destroy the evidence.

Speculation was also rife that the woman was the victim of notorious gangs in Thamaga, who have long held the village hostage to violent crimes, including murder.

However, yesterday, Thamaga Police station commander, Moses Makgoeng said the case of the woman, who is believed to be aged between 30 and 35 years, was far from being solved.

“From the naked eye, the deceased suffered no visible injuries prior to her death,” he told Mmegi. “It is not clear whether she was hit by a car or what.”

The station commander could not confirm the involvement of Thamaga’s notorious gangs in the woman’s death, saying investigations were ongoing to identify the victim first.

“We do not know her and we do not know where she comes from. There is no way we can link her death to anyone. We are still investigating to find out if the deceased is a resident of Thamaga or she was just passing through,” he said.

On Tuesday night, the police took the rare step of publicising a posthumous photo of the woman on Btv, pleading for assistance in identifying her. The photo caused a stir, with many taking to social media to express their discomfort.

Makgoeng appealed with members of the public to go and identify the body at Thamaga Primary Hospital mortuary. He added that prior to the incident, there had been no murders in the village since the beginning of the festive season.