A 78-year-old woman managed to identify the men who raped her and then set fire to her body before she died, Eastern Cape police said on Thursday.
The brutal rape and murder of the woman and her niece on Tuesday last week have left the Grahamstown community shocked and angry, according to police spokesperson Captain Mali Govender.
Four teenagers and a 36-year-old man allegedly raped and then strangled 44-year-old Christina Royi with the chord of an electric kettle and raped and then set fire to the lower half of 78-year-old Boniwe Ngwendu’s body.
Police officers discovered the burning body of Ngwendu in a house in Grahamstown and rushed her to the hospital.
She managed to live long enough to identify her attackers but died on Tuesday this week.
A memorial service for the two women was held at a sports centre in Grahamstown on Thursday.
”The community is very upset about this, the local newspapers are filled with angry responses. They [community members] marched on Tuesday and met with the local council and the Mayor,” Govender said.
The 36-year-old man was found in the house when police discovered the women.
He was drunk and sleeping when police had to force their way into the home after seeing smoke from the fire engulfing Ngwendu’s body.
The suspects appeared before the Grahamstown Magistrate’s Court on Thursday and were remanded in custody. They will appear for bail on October 12. – Sapa