In a shocking turn of events, police in Mpumalanga have revealed that the Grade 11 learner from St Stithians Girls’ College in Johannesburg, whose body was found in Mpumalanga on Monday, had strangulation marks on her neck.
A police spokesperson in Mpumalanga, Col. Mavela Masondo, confirmed to media outlets today that the results of the autopsy on Cameron Rhine Waldeck-Cooks (17) showed that she was possibly strangled.
Her body was found in a lodge outside Sabie along with the body of Ethan Coetzee (19), a former pupil of St. Stithians Boys’ College in Johannesburg.
The police initially opened two inquest dockets, but Masondo says this has now been changed to a murder charge and an inquest docket.
Masondo says it appears Coetzee took his own life. It is not yet known how he died.
“The South African Police Service in Mpumalanga is now investigating a case of murder and an inquest following the deaths of two teenagers at a certain lodge in Sabie. An inquest docket was initially opened. However, following postmortem results, a case of murder was added. The postmortem results suggests that the 17-year-old female may have been strangled, while the 19-year-old male may have taken his own life.”
In two Facebook posts on Wednesday, St Stithians paid tribute to both Waldeck-Cooks and Coetzee, who graduated in 2025. Both young people had attended the school since Grade R.
