Image: News24
A Zimbabwean man in Makhanda has died a week after his daughter was found dead inside a bakery they ran together.
South African police are investigating a murder after a young Zimbabwean woman was found dead inside a bakery in Makhanda in the Eastern Cape.
A week later, the father’s body was also found hanging from a tree in the small university town.
According to a source, it is believed that the man killed his daughter before he killed himself.
Police and the Zimbabwe Consulate in Cape Town are refusing to divulge their identities.
Police found the young woman’s body inside the bakery around 21:00 on Sunday, 21 May. There was a blood stain on her head but no visible injuries, they revealed.
A post-mortem examination is expected to be held to determine the causes of their deaths.
Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli said officers were dispatched to the scene of a suspected suicide when a security officer discovered the father’s body.
News24 learnt from sources close to the investigation that it’s believed that the man sexually abused the daughter and impregnated her.
According to the source, it’s believed that he killed her and then killed himself.
All Nkohli was prepared to say was:
“Police can also confirm that the deceased was a person of interest in the murder case, which occurred at the bakery in Makhanda on Sunday, 21 May.”
Zimbabwean authorities and the small Zimbabwean community in South Africa are grappling with what happened.
Zimbabweans in Makhanda are assisted by the Zimbabwe Consulate in Cape Town.
Zimbabwean Consul-General Esther Tonderai Mudambo refused to speak to News24 about the incident.
Mudambo said the office could not disclose anything without permission from the deceased’s next-of-kin.
News24 made several attempts to contact the family of the deceased but to no avail.
The Zimbabwe Migrant and Refugee Support Network (ZMRSN) in Gqeberha was aware of the incident.
News24
