Woman’s body found in boyfriend’s shack
THE FAMILY of a murdered woman, whose body was discovered in her boyfriend’s shack in Madiba Square, Galeshewe, revealed that she had never introduced her boyfriend of four years to them.
The decomposing body of Mymoona Kaleb, aged 38, was found in her boyfriend’s dwelling on Monday. Her 38-year-old boyfriend, with whom she had been visiting for over a week, was arrested at the scene.
The body was reportedly found wrapped in a blanket and secured with laces.
The Galeshewe police have confirmed that they are investigating a murder case following the discovery of the body.
Following the arrest of the boyfriend, Allister van Wyk, he made a brief appearance before the Galeshewe Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. The deceased was laid to rest on the same day.
The case has been postponed to August 14 after Van Wyk was denied bail.
The incident has sent shockwaves through the local community, as it is believed that Kaleb’s body had been in the shack for several days in the presence of Van Wyk.
Neighbours mentioned that they last saw Kaleb on Thursday, June 20, and described the couple as inseparable whenever she visited.
The grieving family is anxiously awaiting the completion of police investigations to understand exactly what happened to their loved one. They are calling for severe punishment for the person responsible for her murder, emphasising that such an individual does not belong in society.
The family said they last saw Kaleb on June 13 as she left to visit the man accused of her murder.
They said Kaleb was a closed book when it came to her relationship with Van Wyk. Despite their encouragement, Kaleb had never formally introduced her boyfriend to her family, keeping her relationship with him a mystery.
The family said they attempted to call her cellphone the week before her body was discovered, but the calls were met with hang-ups. They were concerned that she had been gone for too long, which was unusual for her.
Kaleb’s mother, Rougsanna Malambo, explained that her daughter used to live with the boyfriend but moved out two years ago to care for her ailing grandfather and her own children.
Kaleb, who was unemployed, had three children aged 13 to 21.
According to Malambo, her daughter had previously owned her own shack in Madiba Square but later dismantled it to live with her boyfriend.
She said she knew about the relationship but had never met Van Wyk during the four years he dated her daughter.
“He would come to fetch her and stand outside the yard or around the corner. I have never met him and my daughter never introduced him to me. I was always fighting with her … I told her to leave that boy,” said Malambo.
“I was honest with her and questioned why she had to date a drug addict when she does not even drink alcohol.
“She never discussed her relationship with the family. I once saw him in passing, but I did not like him. I warned her numerous times about the potential risks - what if something unfortunate happened to her?
“I couldn’t understand what his hold was on her, because they were both unemployed.”
Malambo said she was at her home in Roodepan on Monday when she was woken up by her granddaughter, who was accompanied by a police officer.
The deceased’s daughter, Naseera Kaleb, said the police officer arrived at her mother’s residential home on Monday morning at around 9am and asked to speak to the adults.
“I told him that my grandmother is staying in Roodepan and he requested that I accompany him to her home. Upon our arrival there, we had to wake my grandmother, who had to receive the news,” said Naseera.
Malambo said she was already on edge when her granddaughter arrived at her doorstep with the police officer.
“I could feel that there was something wrong. I even suspected that something had happened to my grandchild. I did not even think that it could be her mother,” said Malambo.
“I was traumatised when he broke the news that my daughter was found murdered in the shack of a man who was supposed to be her true love.
“We were in such a state that even the officer cried along with us.”
The family said they were unable to bury Kaleb on the same day in accordance with Islamic custom. They had to wait for the post-mortem to be concluded and could only bury her the next day.
“It is inhuman what happened to my child. No one deserves to be killed and for her body to be handled in that manner. What right-minded person would sleep with a corpse in the house for days? That is inhuman,” Malambo cried.
A local gender-based violence and femicide advocacy group expressed relief when the accused decided to forego bail.
A member of the group, Hebert Miller, affirmed their commitment to attending court proceedings to emphasise the case’s public interest. Additionally, he pledged the group’s support to the grieving family, including counselling.
“We call for government institutions and political leaders to commit to the fight against gender-based violence (GBV),” said Miller.
“GBV is really affecting the community and dividing society due to the frustrations they suffer. We call on our political, religious and traditional leaders to come to the community and create enough awareness to fight this curse that we are faced with on a daily basis.
“It is very painful for our mothers, sisters and daughters to become objects to those who call themselves men but yet display hatred towards them.”
Miller added that they will convene as a civil society group to organise a programme addressing these issues. Furthermore, he urged the community not to label the arrested suspect but rather to let the court reach a decision.
Meanwhile, the community of Madiba Square has threatened to demolish Van Wyk’s shack as they believe he is a danger to society.
