THE family and mourners at the funeral service of a Carletonville businesswoman found burnt to death have called for justice.
On December 21 last year Maureen Gege disappeared after watching a soccer match at her brother's house in the area.
Eight days after her disappearance the police discovered the body of a badly burnt woman on the N12 between Johannesburg andCarletonville.
DNA samples from the body of 47-year-old Gege and her older son Lubabalo were taken to the Roodepoort DNA lab test centre.
Just over a week ago police confirmed that the burnt body found last year was that of Gege.
Before her death Gege's relationship with her husband, Chumani Gege, went sour, which led to their separation. Chumani did not attend the funeral, saying he was avoiding conflict.
Chumani said: "Coming from all the things that have taken place, I had to take a decision to avoid conflict. As tradition demands, I decided to go with my son to the cemetery to pay my last respects.
"Since the mother of my kids went missing I have had a horrible time, with accusations from the media and my in-laws."
During the funeral service of "Stonky", as Maureen Gege was affectionately known, mourners described her as a beautiful and humble person.
As speakers took turns on the podium describing their relationship with her, her twin brother, Morris, burst into tears and so did her two sons, Lubabalo, 24, and Obake, 18.
Morris said: "She was a beautiful woman with a good heart. She never changed, she was always humble.
"She was a good woman and could not kill even a roach. She did not deserve to die the way she did."
Nomalizo Malefo, who represented the Gege family, said Stonky had bonded well with her in-laws, who gave her a new name, Nomzamo.
"She respected and loved her parents (in-laws). No one can say that she heard her scream at anyone," Malefo told over 1000 mourners who packed the Carletonville Civic Centre. "The way her life ended is the most gruesome way to kill a person. Even criminals do not have to die this way," Malefo cried.
"The last three months have been the most devastating. We never had a festive season and we just could not understand why a thing like this could happen to her.
"What we can hope for as a family is that justice system is not going to fail us. Let the perpetrators be brought to book, this is what we will be praying for. We have no suspicion of anyone as the Gege family. Speculation we have heard, but suspicion is not fact."
Appeal for justice
THE family and mourners at the funeral service of a Carletonville businesswoman found burnt to death have called for justice.
On December 21 last year Maureen Gege disappeared after watching a soccer match at her brother's house in the area.
Eight days after her disappearance the police discovered the body of a badly burnt woman on the N12 between Johannesburg andCarletonville.
DNA samples from the body of 47-year-old Gege and her older son Lubabalo were taken to the Roodepoort DNA lab test centre.
Just over a week ago police confirmed that the burnt body found last year was that of Gege.
Before her death Gege's relationship with her husband, Chumani Gege, went sour, which led to their separation. Chumani did not attend the funeral, saying he was avoiding conflict.
Chumani said: "Coming from all the things that have taken place, I had to take a decision to avoid conflict. As tradition demands, I decided to go with my son to the cemetery to pay my last respects.
"Since the mother of my kids went missing I have had a horrible time, with accusations from the media and my in-laws."
During the funeral service of "Stonky", as Maureen Gege was affectionately known, mourners described her as a beautiful and humble person.
As speakers took turns on the podium describing their relationship with her, her twin brother, Morris, burst into tears and so did her two sons, Lubabalo, 24, and Obake, 18.
Morris said: "She was a beautiful woman with a good heart. She never changed, she was always humble.
"She was a good woman and could not kill even a roach. She did not deserve to die the way she did."
Nomalizo Malefo, who represented the Gege family, said Stonky had bonded well with her in-laws, who gave her a new name, Nomzamo.
"She respected and loved her parents (in-laws). No one can say that she heard her scream at anyone," Malefo told over 1000 mourners who packed the Carletonville Civic Centre. "The way her life ended is the most gruesome way to kill a person. Even criminals do not have to die this way," Malefo cried.
"The last three months have been the most devastating. We never had a festive season and we just could not understand why a thing like this could happen to her.
"What we can hope for as a family is that justice system is not going to fail us. Let the perpetrators be brought to book, this is what we will be praying for. We have no suspicion of anyone as the Gege family. Speculation we have heard, but suspicion is not fact."
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