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For Genevieve Serra 
7h ago
Thursday March 4 was a dark day for Cape Town. Three women were murdered in the city on the same day, just hours apart, as gender-based violence continues.
The first crime scene was in Disa Crescent, Sanddrift, Milnerton, where the body of a 70-year-old woman, identified as Schanette Willemse, was discovered in her bathtub shortly after 8 a.m.
His car and his dog were not at the scene.
The murder sowed fear and shock in the close-knit community where Willemse was a shop owner and moneylender.
He ran the store from his home and hired a local resident to run the business for the day after a fashion operation.
Willemse lived alone with her dog.
Police found his car in the Sanddrift area later that day.
Willemse’s next-door neighbor, Gavin Assure, said he had known the woman for more than 20 years and noticed a suspicious-looking man in her home before her death.
“I was his neighbor for more than 21 years,” Assure said.
“She owned a store, which she ran from her home.
“When he fell ill after the operation, a lady from the community took care of the store during the day.
“She was a great help with food and money for the people.
“I noticed this week that something is not right because no one goes to her house after 8 pm and she has two security doors,” he said.
“You needed to yell at him if you wanted him to open the door.
“She would only have opened her doors and gates to someone she knew.
“I saw a man there in the week, he was inside and at one point he had a television in his hands that I thought maybe he was fixing.
“Then on Thursday, when the lady who works in the store entered the house, she found it, there was blood splatter everywhere and the car and the dog were missing.
Police spokesman Captain FC Van Wyk said the woman was found dead in the bathtub.
“The victim was found lying in the bathroom in the bathtub with water.
“Some items and the vehicle of the deceased had disappeared from the house.
“The vehicle was found later that day in the Sanddrift area.”
An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death, police said.
Police were called to a second murder scene along Ottery Road in Wynberg, where they found the body of 35-year-old Miche Samuels inside his red Fiat.
Miche was stabbed while driving the car.
Her one-year-old son was sitting in the back seat of the vehicle at the time of the incident.
The boy was unharmed.
Samuels’ car collided with another after she was stabbed.
Images and videos from the crime scene went viral on social media.
Samuels’ husband, 39, was arrested for the murder moments after the incident after motorists chased him.
The man, a Bangladeshi citizen, cannot be identified until he appears in court for the first time on Monday.
The couple were married for seven years according to family members.
Samuels was the breadwinner, while the husband was unemployed after owning some shops.
The couple lived in Parkwood.
Samuels’ father, Daniel Beck, said that yesterday they were too traumatized to speak.
“We don’t want to be disturbed at this time.”
While another relative, who asked not to be identified, said they were in shock.
“He was a down-to-earth person and always strived to do better.
“She was the breadwinner and the husband apparently had a gambling problem.
“I cannot say if they had any problems in their marriage related to violence.
“We are still in a state of shock.”
Van Wyk urged anyone with more information on the incident to contact Detective Sergeant Frederick Abrahams at 021 799 1400 or Crime Stop at 08600 10111.
Police visited a third crime scene at Claredon Close, in Sherwood Park, Atlantis, where the naked body of an unknown woman believed to be in her 30s was found.
Police have yet to determine the cause of death and whether she was raped.
While the neighborhood councilor, Barbara Rass, said they were shocked by the incident after a decrease in gender-based violence in the area.
“It is believed that this woman does not belong to the Sherwood community, for now, she is unknown to us,” Rass said.
“We are devastated that that particular area was once a dumping ground for murders of women.
“In 2012, they found the body of Liezel Wagner, who was pregnant and beaten to death.
“That murder has never been solved.
“People took photos of this naked woman and posted them on social networks, this is creating monsters that feed on violence like this and do not respect the dignity and rights of the person.”
Van Wyk said they would perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death and had opened a murder file.
Argus weekend
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