Nelisa “Mu” Cele ought to be preparing for her 32nd birthday on Monday‚ and to become a mother to a baby girl in December. Instead‚ on Saturday‚ the “bubbly‚ friendly and compassionate” nurse will be buried at Gamalakhe‚ near Port Shepstone.
Mourners at her memorial service on Thursday gasped in shock as details of her post-mortem emerged‚ including that she was struck with a blunt object on the head and sustained extensive internal bleeding‚ the KwaZulu-Natal health department said in a statement on Friday. They also heard that she had been expecting a baby girl in three months time.
The department said no-one has been arrested yet for the murder‚ which is shrouded in mystery‚ including questions whether it is linked to a large sum of money that she had saved up to buy a brand new car last Wednesday‚ the day of her disappearance.
Her family had opened a missing person’s case and embarked on a search of hospitals‚ mortuaries‚ and police stations. However‚ the mother of a 13-year-old son was found dead at Oribi Gorge last Friday‚ by a birdwatcher from Johannesburg.
KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo‚ who was among the mourners‚ expressed his dismay over the murder. “When the post mortem was done‚ they found a baby girl who was lifeless. You then have even more anger and pain... Why would a person kill another‚ who already has a soul to save?
“We would like to thank the police for the work that they’ve done‚ and wish to urge them to find the perpetrator(s) of this callous act‚” the MEC said.
Nelisa Cele is survived by her son‚ four siblings and her parents. She will be buried at Gamalakhe on Saturday.
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