The husband of a woman who was murdered after going missing from outside the Peddie Magistrate’s Court on Friday has urged police to make a swift arrest.
Momeleli Maliza, 30, left his wife of two years sitting in their vehicle in the court’s parking area with the car keys and his cellphone while he attended a maintenance hearing inside the building.
When he returned, the car – with his wife Noluthabo Maliza, 25, in it – was gone. Her body was found the following day in bushes near kwaNdlambe village, some 27km from Peddie, by a herdsman.
The vehicle was recovered abandoned on a gravel road at kwaQamnyana, 10km from where her body had been dumped.
Giving an interview alongside Noluthabo’s mother, Nomatolo Vellem, 48, Maliza said the family were still in shock over his wife’s death.
Although he and his wife had initially lived with his family, they later moved to stay with her family in eThembeni.
Vellem said her daughter had suffered a miscarriage.
“I called my daughter home so that she could recover from the trauma,” she said.
Maliza, who works as a porter at Nompumelelo Hospital, said he had moved with his wife and they had settled in her family’s village.
On Friday he had gone to court with the mother of his five-year-old daughter from a previous relationship for a maintenance hearing.
He said his family were close to his ex-girlfriend.
“We arrived at court at 9am and my wife wanted to remain in the car. I gave her my keys and my cellphone. I only went outside again at 1pm when the court adjourned for lunch and I went to check on my wife.
“We bought fruit from her mother, who works as a hawker nearby.”
After lunch he returned to court, only leaving again at around 2.30pm.
It was then he discovered Noluthabo and the car missing.
“I was angry, thinking she had taken the car, and went to my mother-in-law who tried to phone her but her phone was off.”
Vellem said Noluthabo had told her during the lunch break that two men had earlier harassed her while she was sitting in the parked car.
Realising something must be wrong and fearing for her safety they contacted police.
“We even contacted the local community radio station urging listeners to be on the lookout for the vehicle,” said Maliza.
Grahamstown police spokeswoman Captain Mali Govender said Tyefu police were investigating a case of kidnapping, murder and theft of a motor vehicle.
She said a postmortem would be conducted to establish the cause of death.
Slain woman’s family speaks out
Momeleli Maliza, 30, left his wife of two years sitting in their vehicle in the court’s parking area with the car keys and his cellphone while he attended a maintenance hearing inside the building.
When he returned, the car – with his wife Noluthabo Maliza, 25, in it – was gone. Her body was found the following day in bushes near kwaNdlambe village, some 27km from Peddie, by a herdsman.
The vehicle was recovered abandoned on a gravel road at kwaQamnyana, 10km from where her body had been dumped.
Giving an interview alongside Noluthabo’s mother, Nomatolo Vellem, 48, Maliza said the family were still in shock over his wife’s death.
Although he and his wife had initially lived with his family, they later moved to stay with her family in eThembeni.
Vellem said her daughter had suffered a miscarriage.
“I called my daughter home so that she could recover from the trauma,” she said.
Maliza, who works as a porter at Nompumelelo Hospital, said he had moved with his wife and they had settled in her family’s village.
On Friday he had gone to court with the mother of his five-year-old daughter from a previous relationship for a maintenance hearing.
He said his family were close to his ex-girlfriend.
“We arrived at court at 9am and my wife wanted to remain in the car. I gave her my keys and my cellphone. I only went outside again at 1pm when the court adjourned for lunch and I went to check on my wife.
“We bought fruit from her mother, who works as a hawker nearby.”
After lunch he returned to court, only leaving again at around 2.30pm.
It was then he discovered Noluthabo and the car missing.
“I was angry, thinking she had taken the car, and went to my mother-in-law who tried to phone her but her phone was off.”
Vellem said Noluthabo had told her during the lunch break that two men had earlier harassed her while she was sitting in the parked car.
Realising something must be wrong and fearing for her safety they contacted police.
“We even contacted the local community radio station urging listeners to be on the lookout for the vehicle,” said Maliza.
Grahamstown police spokeswoman Captain Mali Govender said Tyefu police were investigating a case of kidnapping, murder and theft of a motor vehicle.
She said a postmortem would be conducted to establish the cause of death.
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