UPDATE: Thankfully, Siphamandla Lucawa has been found alive and well.
South Africans are holding their breath, hoping that wherever Siphamandla Luwaca is, she is alive and well.
South Africa is losing the fight against GBV
These past two weeks have been difficult for women in Mzansi. It became clear that nothing the government has attempted since the horrid death of Uyinene Mrwetyana has influenced the rate of gender-based violence (GBV) in South Africa.
On a daily basis, we are confronted with broadcast messages and placards of missing women. Some are tracked down and reconnected with their families, others are found lifeless in open fields, discarded like rubbish.
Women who lost their lives to femicide this week alone
In the past week alone, at least five known cases of femicide were reported to authorities across the country.
Naledi Phangindawo from Mossel Bay was allegedly hacked with an axe by the father of her children. Tshegofatso Pule, a mom-to-be from Roodepoort, Johannesburg, was found hanging in a tree with a stab wound on her left breast three days after she left her boyfriend’s place following an argument.
On Friday morning, protesters in Dobsonville, Soweto, discovered the body of an unidentified woman who was dumped under a tree in Extension 3, near a Sasol petrol station.
All three of the abovementioned cases are still unsolved and authorities are tight-lipped about the progress of the homicide investigations.
Missing person: Where is Siphamanda Lucawa?
The nation’s attention has since shifted towards a student from the University of Free State (UFS) who, according to friends and fellow students, has been missing since Monday 8 June 2020.
The last time Siphamandla Lucawa was seen alive was in Universitas, a residential area in Bloemfontein that houses students from UFS.
It is believed Siphamandla Lucawa was on her way to Brandwag to study, an area only 3.4km away from Universitas (see map below).
Somewhere along the way, it seems that Lucawa fell off the face of the earth.
Important details to help find Siphamandla Lucawa
She was last seen wearing a grey hoodie and black pants with white pinstripes. While Lucawa is an adult and could be missing by choice, her family and friends have raised serious concerns about her uncharacteristic behaviour, like not being reachable on the phone for this prolonged period.
The Lucawa family has pleaded with the public to send tips or information on her sightings to the following contacts:
- SK Lucawa: 063 038 4324; or
- UFS Protection Services: 051 401 2911 / 2634
