Mangaung anti-fraud officer found dead in her car boot 'was passionate about her work'

The Mangaung anti-fraud officer whose body was found in the boot of her car on Christmas eve has been described as a good person and a committed employee.  

Seipati Lechoano was reported missing on December 19, only to be found dead in the boot of her car in a basement parking lot at the Bram Fischer building in Bloemfontein which houses Mangaung municipality, where she worked.

"She was found with her hands and feet tied but with no visible injuries. All relevant role players and emergency services were mobilised to the scene for further investigation,” said police spokesperson Col Thandi Mbambo.

The spokesperson for the metro, Qondile Khedama, told TimesLIVE that Lechoano had previously worked as a secretary in the risk and anti-fraud department, where she had recently been promoted to investigating officer.  

"She was a good person, very committed and passionate about her work.

"She was one of the longest-serving people in the metro. She worked there many years, she knew almost everything and everyone working in the metro," he said. 

Following the incident, Khedama said, employees of the metro had been given an instruction not to use the parking lot until the investigators were done with their work.

Mbambo said no arrests had been made and the motive behind the killing was unknown. 

Police are investigating a case of murder and kidnapping.  

The Special Investigating Unit (SIU), which is responsible for investigating malpractice or maladministration relating to state institutions, state assets and public money, has denied assertions on social media that Lechoano was one of its employees.   

"Dear South Africans, this is horrific and our sincere condolences go out to her family and friends. We can confirm that she was not an employee of the SIU. Furthermore, the SIU is not conducting any investigation at the Mangaung Metro," the SIU account tweeted.

Postmortem tests were being done to determine the cause of death, Mbambo said.