Pearl Thusi slammed for 'advertising phones' while the country mourns

Pearl Thusi has come under fire on social media after she posted a tweet about missing her cellphone amid outrage and calls for an end to femicide in South Africa.

There was a heavy mood on social media on Monday, a mix of sadness and frustration, after TimesLIVE reported that a 42-year-old man had allegedly confessed to killing UCT student Uyinene Mrwetyana. 

It emerged during his appearance at the Wynberg magistrate's court on Monday that the man allegedly lured the 19-year-old student into the Clareinch Post Office, where he attacked, raped and killed her.

It came amid reports that six-year-old Amy-Lee de Jager was kidnapped while her mother was dropping her off at school, and while xenophobic violence and looting gripped areas in Gauteng.

It was announced on Tuesday morning that Amy-Lee had been returned to her parents after a ransom was demanded and police hostage negotiators were called in to assist the family.

While celebs and ordinary citizens expressed their outrage and sadness over the state of the country at the moment, Pearl tweeted about missing her phone and advertised a campaign to help her find it again.

Many felt Pearl's tweet was badly timed. They claimed it was in bad taste when a six-year-old had gone missing and the country was struggling with other serious issues.

They made their feelings known in the comments section of the post, amassing  more than 1,000 comments and putting her name on the Twitter trends list as one of the most talked about topics.

Pearl has not responded to the backlash but has kept the tweet on her page, where the comments keep flooding in

Others defended Pearl and brought receipts to prove she had added her heartbreak at the news of Uyinene's death.