Grieving couple hope DNA will confirm body is that of missing daughter

A heartbroken Mthatha couple, whose daughter mysteriously vanished in July, are still waiting for the results of a DNA test to confirm whether a decomposed body is that of their missing child.

Noluvuyo Nonkwelo-Ndema, 35, disappeared from her marital home in Dutywa on July 1.

Her distraught father, Mpendulo Nonkwelo, said he and Noluvuyo’s mother had been asked to provide DNA samples to establish whether a body discovered in  bushes near Ngqeleni was that of their daughter.

A pair of trousers and a bra were found on the corpse. There were stab wounds on the neck, and one breast was missing.

The DNA samples were taken to Cape Town in September, but the family said they had not received any feedback.

“Nobody is telling us anything,” Nonkwelo said.

“All we are told is to wait, but how long should we wait? It’s almost four months now.”

He said the whole family needed to find closure. “We need to find out if it is her, so we can bury her. We are certain it’s her and all we need is confirmation from the DNA samples.”

 Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana confirmed the unidentified, decomposed body of a young woman had been found in Ngqeleni and that the Nonkwelo family had been uncertain when it came to identifying the victim.

That was why DNA samples had been taken.

“The case is now being investigated by the organised crime unit and the results are still awaited,” Kinana said.

Kinana denied the couple had been left in the dark, saying detectives constantly communicated with them.

Nonkwelo said Noluvuyo’s two young children were experiencing psychological problems and were undergoing counselling.

He said his daughter had lived in Dutywa with her husband but their marriage had been strained.