WATCH | Flowers and candles for Uyinene outside post office at night vigil one year after her murder

UCT student Uyinene Mrwetyana was murdered inside the Clareinch post office one year ago on August 24 2019. On Monday evening, dozens of family members, friends and residents gathered outside the post office holding flowers, candles and home-made posters in her memory.

“I am a mother, a grandmother and I teach students that were Uyinene's age when she was killed.," said June Bam. “The brutal nature of what happened here on a Saturday afternoon highlighted the extent to which femicide and the killing of children is a ready occurrence and it needs to stop.”

“I just didn't want her to be forgotten because every other women's name just becomes a headline. I felt that if we did that to Uyinene, we would be doing a disservice to all the women around us,” said Kate Solomons.

Uyinene's murder sparked a nationwide protest against gender-based violence and shone a light on the dangers women face in SA. The man convicted of Uyinene's murder, Luyanda Botha, coaxed the student to return to the post office after its 1pm closing time on Saturday August 24 2019 to collect her online clothing order. Once inside the building Botha murdered Uyinene and attempted to dispose of her body in Khayelitsha. He had a criminal record from a prior conviction of robbery.

“We’ve gone silent since the murder and we need to carry on stronger than ever and we need to make a change now,” said Lara Kyle.

Employees at a store opposite the post office said Botha was a quiet man who entered the shop occasionally. On the Monday after the murder, Botha visited the shop and asked to see the CCTV footage captured by their cameras.

“He said he left a generator outside the post office entrance which was stolen over the weekend and that he wanted to see if the cameras picked up the incident,” an employee, who asked to remain anonymous, told TimesLIVE.

The CCTV footage did not capture the entrance to the post office and Botha left looking “relieved” said the employee. However the footage did capture Uyinene just minutes before her murder exiting a Taxify vehicle on the corner opposite the post office.

Botha was sentenced to 75 years behind bars for the murder.