Body of woman with hands, feet tied found in bag on Golden Highway

The body of a woman was found in a big red bag on the Golden Highway in Johannesburg on Sunday afternoon, police said.

Police spokesperson Capt Kay Makhubele said the woman's body was discovered by commuters around 1pm on the highway, next to the BP garage in Freedom Park.

Makhubele said the body was believed to be that of a woman in her 20s.

“Upon inspection of the decomposed corpse, officers noticed the victim had been wearing a straight weave and blue denim jeans. Her hands and legs were tied with rope from behind. She had no visible wounds," Makhubele said.  

In a statement, national police commissioner Gen Khehla John Sitole condemned the recent murders of women across the country, describing the attacks as “brutal and horrific".

The national office has supplied updates about some recent cases.

In the case of the murder of 45-year-old Nompumelelo Tshaka, her alleged murderer, Ayanda Zenani, was arrested.

Tshaka's body was found dumped in an open field in Mthatha by a passerby on June 5.

Zenani appeared in the Mthatha magistrate's court last Thursday, and the matter was postponed to June 18 for a formal bail application.

In Msunduse Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, Bhekukwanda Cele appeared in the Ndwedwe magistrate’s court on a murder charge. The 52-year-old man is accused of murdering his estranged wife, 31-year-old Nwabisa Mgwandela.

Brig Vishnu Naidoo said it is alleged three men assaulted and tied up Mgwandela  with a rope, then left her her hanging in a house on June 7.

Naidoo said no arrests had been made for the murder of 28-year-old Tshegofatso Pule from Gauteng, whose body was found in open veld in Durban Deep last Monday.  

Pule was eight months pregnant with a daughter at the time of her death.

In the case of Naledi Phangindawo from Mossel Bay in the Western Cape, her 34-year-old ex-boyfriend had been arrested and appeared in court last week.

In a separate incident in the Western Cape last month, a suspect was arrested for the alleged murder of his girlfriend, Sibongiseni Gabada.

Gibada's body was found stuffed in a sports bag outside a shack in Khayelitsha on May 29 after she had been missing for two weeks.

Eric Ntabazalila, spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) in the Western Cape, said prosecutors had decided to review their decision to release the suspect.

“After the provisional withdrawal of charges against the man charged with the murder of Sibongiseni Gabada, the NPA has decided to review that decision as a matter of urgency,” said Ntabazalila.

“We have also requested an urgent further investigation in the case. We will advise the family and the public once we have made our decision after the review."

Sitole has assured the nation that no one will go unpunished.

“The family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit is extremely obstinate in its cause to bring perpetrators of crimes against women, children and people of vulnerable groups to book. Crimes against women, children and all other vulnerable groups continue to remain a priority of the SA Police Service.”