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By Siphokazi Vuso 
1 hour ago
Cape Town – Angry residents of the informal Pine Valley settlement in Wolseley reportedly took matters into their own hands, setting fire to the trailer of the man arrested in connection with the murder of 21-year-old Bernadine Frans.
The 33-year-old was arrested after he was caught red-handed Saturday night “dragging something that turned out to be the body of a local woman,” police said.
They are now investigating whether it may be related to the murder of at least two other people whose bodies were found in shallow graves.
This comes after officers were called back to the area after a passerby alerted them to the graves in an open field.
Police crime scene experts, including the K-9 unit, detectives and fingerprint experts, were on the scene until late, said police spokeswoman Novela Potelwa.
He said they were still investigating whether the suspect could also be related to the other bodies. “The arrested 33-year-old suspect has been charged with murder and will appear in court (today) in Wolseley,” Potelwa said.
Residents of the small town of Boland gathered Monday at the police station and in the charred trailer the suspect lived in.
Frans’ aunt, Rene Cloete, said her body was identified by members of the neighborhood watch.
“He died in a very brutal way. She didn’t deserve to die like this.
“My cousin, who works in the neighborhood watch, called me to inform me that her body had been found.
“He was not a difficult or troublesome person and he would never hurt a fly,” he said.
Cloete said funeral arrangements were underway.
Frans’s friend, Anovuyo Mqungquthu, told the Cape Times that they were together on Saturday night.
Community leader Jacob Zalie said on Monday they had a meeting with residents, the municipality, and local and provincial police.
“The guy who got arrested was part of it. He showed some other places where maybe there are other bodies. We don’t know yet… The community is very angry. This is a small town and there is always crime in the community. I grew up in this area, I am 53 years old and it is the first time I have seen something like this, ”he said.
The founder of the women’s and children’s rights group, Philisa Abafazi Bethu, Lucinda Evans, said there is little to no support for women in rural areas.
“It is shocking, and women in rural areas are much more vulnerable than those in cities. There is very little support for women in rural areas, as there are not many GBV prevention programs accessible to women, ”Evans said.
Anyone with information can contact Wolseley Police Detective Pieters on 079 894 0195 anonymously; Crime Stop at 08600 10111 or SMS Crime Line at 32211.
* Additional information from Chevon Booysen
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