17-year-old Ongeziwe Kamlana went missing in Gugulethu on 17 February, her body was later found burned beyond recognition in Kuils River.
Ongeziwe is said to have been on her way to extra classes at her school in Gugulethu on Saturday, 17 February. She had not returned home since then. The search for her commenced the following week, as the search for missing six-year-old Joslin Smith had begun.
READ MORE: Search for missing 6-year-old Joslin Smith continues
In the three weeks since that search started, Western Cape police spokesperson, Frederick Van Wyk, advised that DNA testing confirmed that a body found in Kuils River, belonged to that of the 17-year-old.
“The body of a deceased person was burned beyond recognition inside a bungalow at a premises in Palamino Street Jagtershof Kuilsrivier. DNA testing was also done and it confirmed that the body that was found is that of the missing Gugulethu girl.”
Suspect arrested
Police had changed their original investigation from an inquest docket to that of murder. A 28-year-old man was arrested on 3 March, and the Blue Down’s Magistrates Court has since granted the accused’s application be released on bail of R1000. He returns to court in April.
Previous report
It was previously reported that Ongeziwe’s body was found in Mbekweni, and that two suspects had been arrested for the murder.
This discovery and arrests, however, relate to an isolated incident involving an unknown woman from the Paarl region. Her body was found on Monday, 4 March.
A 28-year-old and 37-year-old suspect have been taken into custody for this incident. The first suspect made an appearance in the Paarl Magistrates court on Thursday, 7 March. He’s in custody until 14 March for his bail hearing.
On the same day, police arrested the second suspect. He’s facing two charges in connection with the case.
“The second suspect, a 37-year-old male was arrested in Langa on Thursday, 2024-03-07. He will appear in the Paarl Magistrates court on Monday, 2024-03-11 on charges of murder and escape from lawful custody.”
*This article has been updated to reflect the accurate information on the two isolated incidents mentioned above
