No arrests have yet been made in connection with the murder of an elderly woman in the seaside town of Hermanus. New information has surfaced that the deceased was was meant to identify two men in an identity parade for a pending criminal case.
The 95-year-old woman, identified as Joan Anderson by Netwerk24, was found tied up on the floor of her bathroom within a secure complex, at 5pm last Thursday.
A towel was also wrapped around her head. Her body was discovered by the complex security guard, who alleged that the crime scene was gruesome with blood “everywhere”. The backdoor of Anderson’s flat was reportedly found open.
Speaking to News24, chairperson of the Hermanus Community Police Forum (CPF), Merwyn Milner, said that he was informed of unconfirmed reports that two men, who Anderson was meant to point out in an identity parade for a criminal case, had been released from custody recently.
The two men were apprehended for a robbery at the rental agency Anderson worked at last year. They were released during the recent unrest in Hermanus, when the police station was burned down.
Police Minister, Bheki Cele, announced the results of the 2017/18 Crime Statistics last week, which revealed that the Western Cape is the murder capital of South Africa.
An average of 57 people are murdered in the country per day and the police station with the highest murder incidences recorded is Nyanga Police Station.
The Western Cape reported 808 gang-related murders, 45 taxi-related murders, and 173 mob justice-related murders – making it South Africa’s most violent province.
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