Vutomi Mathebula, the 28-year-old Limpopo woman whose decomposed remains were found in Olifantsfontein nearly six months after she disappeared, has been laid to rest.
Mathebula was buried at Homu 14-A near Giyani on Thursday, with family, friends and community members gathering to bid farewell to the mother of a five-year-old child.
She was reported missing in March after leaving home to go shopping. Her family later received calls from people demanding money for her return, raising hopes that she was still alive.
Her remains were found in Olifantsfontein, near Kempton Park, on 14 September. Mathebula was subsequently identified by her family at the mortuary.
Her mother, Emma Mathebula, remembered her as a kind and caring woman.
“Vutomi was a good person. She was always smiling, and respectful. She was supportive and took care of her child. She was disciplined.”
Mathebula is among the women whose bodies have been found across Ekurhuleni in recent months. Police have not confirmed that all of the cases are linked.
For her family, Thursday’s burial marked the end of a painful six-month search for answers and a chance to finally lay their daughter and mother to rest.
