The body discovered in a Bo-Kaap quarry has been identified as Anela Madikazi, a former model and aspiring actress, Cape {town} Etc reports.
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Madikazi was last seen on 18 August, wearing a light blue dress and a black leather jacket. Her body was found the next day around 5pm by boys playing soccer near Strand Street and High Level Road. At that time, her family was unaware of her death.
The 29-year-old’s body showed visible wounds, and her dress was reported to be pulled up. Her family had been searching for her for over a week before learning of her murder. Her mother, Bulelwa Madikazi, shared her shock, ‘Anela had been renting her place in Philippi but always made sure to video-call her niece daily. It was strange when she didn’t call that evening; my granddaughter tried reaching her but couldn’t get through.’
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Anela was with her cousin before she went missing from the city centre.
‘She was having trouble with her boyfriend and called my daughter or my daughter went to see her to help with the issue. They spent some time at a pub on Long Street and then visited Anela’s friend, leaving him around 5pm,’ Bulelwa recounted. Anela departed from her cousin around 9pm, telling her she was heading back to her friend’s place.
The cousin remembered the address but not the vehicle or driver details. Bulelwa said, ‘I told her cousin that it had been over 24 hours, so she should report Anela as missing. When we went to report it, the cousin was missing and her phone was on voicemail. She later posted about Anela’s disappearance on social media and broke down when confronted. We searched the mortuaries and eventually found Anela, but were not allowed to view her face due to severe disfigurement.’
Bulelwa speculates that her daughter might have been trying to escape danger.
‘I initially thought the driver tried something, and she might have jumped into the quarry.’
Marc Truss from the Cape Town Central Community Policing Forum suggested that the woman’s injuries pointed to gender-based violence.
‘It seems she suffered trauma, likely to her head, and did not survive the abuse,’ Truss said.
Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg stated that the motive and exact cause of death are still under investigation.
‘A post-mortem will determine the cause of death. Cape Town Central police have registered an inquest following the discovery of the body on Monday.’
Anela Madikazi had appeared as a model on the TV show Hair to the Throne and had aspirations in acting.
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Picture: Anela Madikazi/ Instagram
