Cape Town - A father can breathe a sigh of relief after his daughter and her colleague had several run-ins with the man accused of raping and killing 19-year-old Uyinene Mrwetyana.
Sam Brookes said the duo worked a few blocks away from Clareinch Post Office and made regular use of it to post registered letters.
“When she heard what had happened with this poor student and what the modus operandi of the perpetrator was, she was shocked. She informed me that he had tried exactly the same thing with her, as well as her colleague,” he said.
Brookes said his 25-year-old daughter described the accused as a very charming man.
“He is extremely friendly, helpful, full of compliments and created a good impression,” said Brookes, who could not believe what his daughter told him next.
A man sits in front of Parliament where hundreds of posters are on display. Protesters continued to voice their anger against gender-based violence in front of Parliament yesterday morning. Henk Kruger African News Agency (ANA)
“She told me that on numerous occasions he also told her the story about the credit card machine not working and that she would need to come back later. However, as both of them are probably older and wiser, they insisted he try again. But they never suspected that he had criminal intentions.
“They never mentioned it to one another as it didn’t really bother them at the time. However, after hearing what happened, they discussed it and discovered that they (could have been) potential victims,” he said. Brookes said he phoned Claremont police station on Thursday, asking to speak to the investigating officer.
“I reported what the call was about and gave them my phone number, and up till now there has been no reaction.
“I have asked to speak to the station commander, who just puts her cell down the moment it starts ringing. I have asked to speak to the second in command, to no avail.”
“One would think that after the president’s address to the nation in response to this murder, there would be better action taken by the police. How can we as citizens feel safe under these conditions? All we get is empty promises from politicians, but the moment we need them, they fail us,” he said.
On Friday afternoon, Brookes finally got feedback from Claremont police station.
“The investigating officer asked me to ask my daughter to write an affidavit and they would be able to use it for sentencing as it proves that the murder was premeditated,” he added.
Meanwhile, Alice Crocker posted a similar story on Facebook this week.
On Monday, a Clareinch Post Office employee was charged with the alleged rape and murder of Mrwetyana. He will make his second court appearance on November 5 via an audio link from prison.