Western Cape police were on Friday hoping someone will come forward with information on the murder of University of Stellenbosch student Inge Lotz.
”Nothing was taken, there was no forced entry and there are no leads,” Superintendent Billy Jones said. ”We are relying on someone to come forward with information.”
Lotz (21) was found by a friend late on Wednesday night on a couch in her flat on the first floor of the Shiraz security complex, near the university campus.
Lotz, second cousin to champion swimmer Ryk Neethling, obtained an honours degree in mathematical statistics cum laude last year. She was enrolled for a master’s degree this year.
She had numerous stab wounds to her chest and neck.
Maintenance workers at the flats last saw her at about 1pm on Wednesday when she entered her flat.
The friend, who became anxious after failing to reach her by phone, found her body.
Jones said police have spoken to friends about her last movements but are not questioning anybody as suspects.
The flat is fitted with burglar bars and security gates, and the balcony cannot be reached from outside. The complex is fully fenced and provided with electric fencing, and can only be reached through a remote-controlled security gate, News24 reported.
Lotz’s father, Prof Jan Lotz, rushed to Stellenbosch from Bloemfontein on Thursday when he received the news of the death of his only child. He is a lecturer in radiology at the University of the Free State.
”Her death has gone deep into the heart of the student community,” University of Stellenbosch spokesperson Mohamed Shaikh said, adding that the university is considering holding a memorial service for her.
He said that the murder did not take place on the campus, but in a private residence on the outskirts of town.
”We keep tabs around the clock. The university is part of the town, so it does not have a fence around it but security is our top priority at all times,” Shaikh said.
Earlier, the university’s chancellor, Chris Brink, issued a statement expressing shock at the murder and sending condolences to her family. — Sapa