Sally Sam, 82, was found in a pool of blood in her Braelyn home on Wednesday evening.
Her slaying sent shockwaves through the small Indian community.
East London police spokesperson Captain Hazel Mqala said the lifeless Sam, was discovered lying in a pool of blood by her 34-year-old granddaughter.
Sam is the cousin of Hillary Lawrence, who is the former bodyguard of Buffalo City Mayor Xola Pakati
Duncan Village police have opened a case of murder.
When the Dispatch arrived at the Teakwood Place house on Thursday, Lawrence, neighbours and his relatives had gathered on the verandah.
Lawrence politely asked for his family to be given time to consult other family members who were driving from Port Elizabeth.
“My cousin has not arrived yet. As soon as we meet we will discuss this matter and decide if we can give a statement to the media. The police are still handling this matter.”
Late on Thursday, Lawrence could only say: “We are trying to deal with it. We would like to remain private. We have decided not to say anything to the media”.
Asked how he was feeling about the senseless killings across the country, Lawrence said: “You don't want me to say the word to describe how I feel…56 million people have had enough of crime.”
Mqala said: “According to the information the deceased had been living with her granddaughter and her husband and she [Sam] was alone at home during the day while the couple was at work,” said Mqala.
Mqala said Sam's body had been found with “several” stab wounds in the upper body.
She said the motive for the murder was still unknown at this stage.
“Further investigation by the operatives at the scene will reveal if any property was taken from the house. The perpetrator is still unknown at this stage but the [police] operatives are busy interviewing possible witnesses in order to obtain and follow up possible leads”.
Mqala said anyone with information about the incident was urged to contact Duncan Village police station.
Mqala said a post-mortem would reveal if there were any further injuries suffered by the victim.
Duncan Village Community Forum chairman Ludumo Salman called for the police to install CCTV cameras and increase patrols.
He described the incident as a “senseless” killing.
“It is very sad; according to the information I received from Duncan Village police, the woman was stabbed six times.
“This needs to be investigated by specialised police units and they must do a thorough investigation. At the moment it doesn't look like a robbery. It looks like a murder.”
“The metro needs to install CCTV cameras at strategic street corners because police can't be everywhere. We have seen this yielding results where I live in Gompo,” he said.
Salman said the Duncan Village police station did not have enough resources to adequately service its area. “More officers and more vehicles are needed.”
Salman however said police did not need vehicles to make a difference.
“Officers should stop this obsession with cars and just march to gangsters once. If they can patrol on foot, they can pounce better because the disadvantage of police cars is that criminals can hear them coming from miles away.”..