Young, full of life, and energetic, that’s how Teresa Socoza’s family described her. When she bade her mother goodbye on Friday, February 18, none of the family members knew that it was the last time they would see her. Her body was found dumped a few kilometres from her home. Teresa Socoza was murdered, as revealed by the post-mortem. Teresa was a Grade 11 learner. It was not the first incident in the area. Not long ago, another girl was killed. The perpetrator was not arrested. Activist groups that advocate for women’s and children’s rights are calling for more decisive actions against the perpetrators of such heinous crimes. Speaking to the Rising Sun, family spokesperson Nomonde Mbele said the family is devastated and has more questions than answers.
Nomonde Mbele explained, “She (Teresa) came from school on Friday, changed her school uniform, and went to see her friend. She came back after a few minutes and left again. The community started to look for her when she did not return. She added, “At around 12:00 pm on Saturday, February 19, one of our neighbours inquired whether we had found our child. She said there was a child who had been found injured. The neighbour did not mention whether the child was alive or not. The mother went to the scene and found that it was indeed her child. There were no bloodstains which suggest that she was killed elsewhere and dumped there.”
Nomonde Mbele said, “The post-mortem revealed that her head was hit by a steel object which resulted in brain damage. We, as family members, are hurt. Our wish is to see the perpetrator brought to book. We understand that this was not the first incident in the area. Our question is, what are the police doing about crime in the area? On the same weekend, a tavern owner was killed in the same street, which goes to show the high level of violence in this area. We are now calling on the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, to intervene. We need community patrollers to work with the police”. Gender-based mentor, Thembisa Tembe, condemned the act, “Our youth is under attack, what kind of nation allows its young people to die in this manner. What we are calling for, as community members, is a police satellite station in our area because police take a long time to respond to crime scenes. Police visibility is crucial. We don’t believe these crimes are committed by someone from outside this area. We need to come together as community members to fight the scourge of crime in our area.” George Dlamini, SANCO secretary, shared Tembe’s sentiments. He called for law enforcement agencies to ensure that the perpetrator is brought to book.
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