Thabiso Malatji, Palesa's uncle, said her niece was last seen walking home after her lessons at Ntsako Secondary School.
Her family began looking for her when she had not returned from school at 5.30pm.
"We immediately knew something was wrong when she was not home at her usual time. Palesa does not wander around after school. She comes straight home. She did not have many friends because she befriended her books. We tried calling her but her cellphone was off and then we started looking for her and then reported her missing to the police. The police joined the search just before midnight and we found her shortly after that," said the uncle.
The family suspects she was killed somewhere else and that her body was dumped where she could be easily found.
"We found her in an area where passersby could have easily heard her if she had screamed, so we believe she was killed somewhere else," added the uncle.
Palesa, the eldest of three children, had been described as the pride of the family by her aunt Lydia Malatji.
"Palesa made us very proud as a family. She was a brilliant girl who loved her books, she was always at home and didn't give us any problems. She was very excited about doing her matric and getting her ID card. With all our pain, we are just happy that we were able to find her body," said Lydia.
Her emotional classmate, who did not want to be named, said Palesa was different from everyone else and took her education seriously.
"She was quiet and friendly, but very smart and her favourite subject was life sciences. I will miss her smile and her down-to-earth nature," the classmate said.
Another learner expressed her fears of having to walk home after this incident.
"We are no longer safe because of crime. I'm now scared of attending the extra lessons after school. It's now winter and it gets dark too early. The police must patrol the area closer to schools so we can feel a lot safer. The school must also arrange buses for us because not everyone lives closer to school and because we don't have money we are forced to walk far," she said.
Meanwhile, schools were disrupted as learners from Palesa's school and neighbouring schools took to the streets marching to Rietgat police station with placards, seeking justice for Palesa.
Teen's bright future cut short after her murder
Distraught family mourn 'brilliant girl who loved books'
Image: Thulani Mbele
Palesa Malatji, 17, was excited about being in grade 12 that she started taking extra lessons to improve her chances of scoring high marks at the end of exams later in the year.
She had been walking home from attending one of the lessons last Thursday when her life was taken from her by unknown thugs. Her lifeless body was found dumped in an open field next to Echibini Secondary School in Soshanguve, north of Pretoria, the following day.
She had thumb prints on her neck and her clothes were torn. She also had scratches on her wrist, indicative that she had been tied up. She was also raped before being killed. Her textbooks were missing, her family told Sowetan yesterday.
Image: supplied
Thabiso Malatji, Palesa's uncle, said her niece was last seen walking home after her lessons at Ntsako Secondary School.
Her family began looking for her when she had not returned from school at 5.30pm.
"We immediately knew something was wrong when she was not home at her usual time. Palesa does not wander around after school. She comes straight home. She did not have many friends because she befriended her books. We tried calling her but her cellphone was off and then we started looking for her and then reported her missing to the police. The police joined the search just before midnight and we found her shortly after that," said the uncle.
The family suspects she was killed somewhere else and that her body was dumped where she could be easily found.
"We found her in an area where passersby could have easily heard her if she had screamed, so we believe she was killed somewhere else," added the uncle.
Palesa, the eldest of three children, had been described as the pride of the family by her aunt Lydia Malatji.
"Palesa made us very proud as a family. She was a brilliant girl who loved her books, she was always at home and didn't give us any problems. She was very excited about doing her matric and getting her ID card. With all our pain, we are just happy that we were able to find her body," said Lydia.
Her emotional classmate, who did not want to be named, said Palesa was different from everyone else and took her education seriously.
"She was quiet and friendly, but very smart and her favourite subject was life sciences. I will miss her smile and her down-to-earth nature," the classmate said.
Another learner expressed her fears of having to walk home after this incident.
"We are no longer safe because of crime. I'm now scared of attending the extra lessons after school. It's now winter and it gets dark too early. The police must patrol the area closer to schools so we can feel a lot safer. The school must also arrange buses for us because not everyone lives closer to school and because we don't have money we are forced to walk far," she said.
Meanwhile, schools were disrupted as learners from Palesa's school and neighbouring schools took to the streets marching to Rietgat police station with placards, seeking justice for Palesa.
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