Police are currently waiting for one outstanding witness statement before the case involving a Stellenbosch University (SU) student who was killed in a road accident, is sent to the Senior Public Prosecutor (SPP) for a final decision on prosecution to be made.
This was according to Captain Nathalie Martin, communications officer of the Stellenbosch South African Police Service (SAPS). The witness in question is an unknown Uber driver whom the police are still searching for, said Martin.
Nomzamo Buthelezi, a student and member of the SU Student Representative Council (SRC), was killed in a road accident involving a tow-truck driver on 2 May 2021. The incident is still being investigated as a culpable homicide.
A shrine in memory of Nomzamo Buthelezi was installed in the Student Representative Council office on the university campus, in the wake of her death, and remains there currently. PHOTO: Giuseppe Rajkumar Guerandi
What we know so far
“Footage was obtained but we cannot give the whereabouts of where it was obtained from,” said Captain Martin.
Stellenbosch SAPS has further confirmed that evidence has been gathered from multiple sources, including the driver of the vehicle involved in the incident, and a post mortem examination, but not all statements have been taken as of yet.
“There needs to be due consideration to the reality that when an incident of that magnitude occurs to a role player of that significance, there is a public interest that needs to be satisfied,” said Yanga Keva, a close friend of the late Buthelezi.
Keva expressed the hope that more clarity on the incident would be made available soon.
Yanga Keva, a close friend of Buthelezi, remembers his late friend.
The aftermath of the loss of Nomzamo
As the investigation nears its resolution, friends of Buthelezi are still reeling from the loss.
According to Keva, memories of Buthelezi come in unexpected waves. “If there’s anything that we particularly loved and wish we could experience once more, it’s her presence,” said Keva.
Xola Njengele, chairperson of the SRC and former friend and colleague of the late Buthelezi, says that he has distanced himself from the case due to the emotional weight of the loss. “It all just became too much. We just miss her,” said Njengele.
SAPS told MatieMedia that the investigating officer leading the case, Sergeant Busisiwe Zibi, is in contact with the family of the deceased and keeping them updated on developments within the investigation.