South Africa mourns after man confesses to Uyinene Mrwetyana’s rape and murder

Uyinene Mrwetyana

A man has been charged with the rape and murder of missing UCT student Uyinene Mrwetyana, a report by News24 revealed on Monday.

Mrwetyana went missing last Saturday after she left her residence in Claremont, Cape Town to pick up a parcel from the post office. Social media came together to get the word out in hopes of finding her.

The 42-year-old unidentified man, who was an employee at the post office, was arrested last week and appeared in Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

He confessed to attacking Mrwetyana, raping her, and knocking her out with a scale.

Police are still in the process of identifying a body that was found in Khayelitsha last week, it is believed the victim is Uyinene Mrwetyana.

Following the news, #UyineneMrwetyana trended once more, this time with messages of sadness, disgust and anger from South Africans.

The South African Government also tweeted its condolences, condemning violence against women and children. 

“We would like to extend our deepest condolences on the death of UCT Student #UyineneMrwetyana. May her soul rest in peace,” it said. 

Uyinene Mrwetyana’s tragic story brings to light the horrors of kidnapping, rape and murder that women face on a day-to-day basis.

Earlier on Monday morning, a Grade R child was abducted outside Laerskool Kollegepark in Vanderbijlpark, she is now being ransomed for R2-million.

Reports of missing women in South Africa are steadily on the rise, with alerts for Mikayla Pieters and Bernice Mitchell joining the list in the last few weeks.

Feature image: screenshot, @GovernmentZA via Twitter

Shereesa Moodley
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