Man arrested for gruesome murder of WC mother and daughter

Police in Cape Town have arrested a 28-year-old man in connection with the murder of a mother and daughter.

Altecia Kortje – a 27-year-old woman – and her seven-year-old daughter, Raynecia had gone missing on Tuesday before they were discovered in a gruesome scene inside a house in Belhar on Friday.

Western Cape man held for murder

According to police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana, their bodies were found in a bloody scene.

“The 27-year-old female had multiple stab wounds in her body while the child was found on the bathroom floor,” she said.

Noloyiso Rwexana

According to Rwexana, the suspect was known the victims.

Candice van der Rheeder of the Western Cape missing persons unit has decried the lack of protection afforded to women and children across the country.

“Our lives are not respected anymore. Our women’s lives are in danger all the time, but the government doesn’t seem to be doing anything about it”

Candice van der Rheeder

Another spike in gender-based violence

This comes just as South Africa is experiencing a concerning spike in gender-based violence, with many cases reported over the past week.

The most notable of these is the case involving Tshegofatso Pule, a heavily-pregnant woman whose body was mutilated and found hanged in Roodepoort earlier in the week.

The scourge of violence against women has caught the attention of President Cyril Ramaphosa, who has condemned the Barbaric acts.

“It is a dark and shameful week for us as a nation. Criminals have descended to even greater depths of cruelty and callousness. It simply cannot continue,” Ramaphosa said.

“We note with disgust that at a time when the country is facing the gravest of threats from the pandemic, violent men are taking advantage of the eased restrictions on movement to attack women and children.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa

An inter-ministerial committee on gender-based violence and femicide has established a council to deal with the scourge of violence.