The latest updates on the funeral of Pearl Shongwe can be found below.
When is Pearl Shongwe funeral? – Here’s what we know
The revered newsreader’s lifeless body was discovered in her Waterkloof apartment, on the morning of Tuesday, 8 November 2022.
It remains unclear if an autopsy was conducted to determine the cause of death and police have yet to provide an update on the active inquest. At this time, with very little information available, foul play has yet to be ruled out.
In a statement quoted by The Daily Sun, family spokesperson Kehla Tshabalala revealed that the family was still coming to terms with the loss of the 35-year-old.
“At only 35, Pearl was in the prime of her career and contributed a lot to building a knowledgeable youth,” Tshabalala said.
With regards to the funeral and memorial service, the family spokesperson confirmed plans to celebrate the life of the MetroFM radiocaster and TV presenter were being discussed and an update will follow soon.
More details on the Pearl Shongwe funeral will be provided as soon as we receive updates. Be sure to bookmark this page or, on a desktop, accept push notifications to receive alerts in real time.
What are the latest updates on the newsreader’s death?
Midrand police have been probing events that led to the death of Pearl Shongwe, whose body was found lying face down on her bed, on Tuesday morning.
While no further updates on the inquest have surfaced, Tshabalala did provide more clarity on the last time Shongwe’s family heard from her, and corrections on several reports about the manner in which her body was found.
According to the family spokesperson, the last time relatives spoke to the newsreader was on Friday, 4 November 2022. This, the family stressed, was very unusual.
Coincidentally, Shongwe’s last activity on Instagram, the only social media platform she frequented based on her post history, was on that Friday. A look at her captions suggests, at least on the surface, that the 35-year-old still had a lot to look forward to.
This is especially apparent in the tribute she wrote to EFF-linked lawyer, Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, on that day, after an interview they did on her SABC 1 show, Daily Thetha.
“There are infinite lessons to be learnt, if we speak less and listen more. It was an absolute pleasure to imbibe from the well of wisdom that is the incomparable son of the soil this morning. His mere presence had an unmissable impact on us all. It was more than his accomplishments, level of education, stature, knowledge, and outward disposition.
“But it was his quiet confidence, the softness from where he spoke, his compassion for people, his clarity on the issues afffecting our youth, and his enthusiasm on driving sustainable change, fuelled by the burning desire to have us see a better day. I am moved. We are grateful to you [Tembeka Ngcukaitobi] for having taken the time to engage with us. Makwande,” she wrote.
According to Tshabalala, contrary to reports, Shongwe’s body was not discovered by neighbours. In fact, after four days of not hearing from Shongwe, her family contacted Waterkloof apartment’s body corporate to get access to her unit.
“The last time the family spoke to her was on Friday (4 November 2022), which is unusual and on Tuesday we called the body corporate at her estate to open for us and that’s when we made the discovery,” the spokesperson revealed.
With questions still lingering over the death of Shongwe, her peers and fans chose to remember her in the best light with these tributes:
