In a disturbing discovery on Sunday, 19 January, residents of Lusaka Village in QwaQwa, Free State, found the decomposed body of 35-year-old Tshepiso Juliet Mokoena in a yard. The body, partially covered with a blanket, was located near a reservoir, deep in the bushes. Shocked residents quickly alerted others, including local councillor Shashapa Motaung, who then contacted authorities.
Tshepiso had been missing since Saturday, 11 January, and was last seen with her boyfriend. Her family had been searching for her without success and had even reported her disappearance to Makwane Police Station. According to her brother, Phakiso, police initially refused to open a missing person’s case, claiming she had been at the station to request a protection order against the boyfriend.
The body was found in a state of severe decomposition, making identification difficult. Tshepiso’s mother, Emma, claims that the boyfriend borrowed a wheelbarrow on the night of 18 January, allegedly using it to transport her daughter’s body to the yard. She suspects the boyfriend was attempting to frame Tshepiso’s husband by making it appear as though she had left the house. Emma described the body as “unrecognizable” and expressed heartbreak at the gruesome discovery.
Police later arrested Tshepiso’s boyfriend, who is now the prime suspect in the case. Warrant Officer Mmako Mophiring confirmed the arrest, noting that the body was discovered near the reservoir as reported by the community. The motive for the murder is still under investigation, though the police are treating it as a case of murder.
Regarding the family’s accusations against the police, Mophiring denied the claim that officers refused to open a missing persons case. He stated that the deceased had been last seen with her boyfriend, and it was reasonable for the authorities to consider him a key figure in her disappearance. The boyfriend appeared in Makwane Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, 22 January.
