Murder of Uyinene Mrwetyana

Uyinene Mrwetyana was a 19-year-old[4] University of Cape Town student who was tortured, raped and murdered on the 24th of August 2019 in the suburb of Claremont, Cape Town.[5] Her body was dumped in the township of Lingelethu West in Khayelitsha.[6][7] Mrwetyana's murder highlighted the broader national problem of gender based violence and homicide in South Africa.[8][9][10]

Following Mrwetyana's death, demonstrations against gender based violence and brutality against women took place across the country. The largest one taking place in front of the South African Parliament in Cape Town where President Cyril Ramaphosa spoke on the issue.

A suspect, later identified as post office employee Luyanda Botha, was arrested and confessed to the Wynberg Magistrate's Court of committing the murder at a post office in Claremont.[10][11]

Following his arrest and subsequent confession, Luyanda Botha was found to have raped Mrwetyana and attempting to strangle her, before ultimately bludgeoning her to death with a two kilogram weight. He returned the following day to retrieve her body, dumping the remains in a field before dousing them with petrol and setting them alight.[12]

Following Botha's arrest, a remembrance was held at the University of Cape Town[13] and University of Witwatersrand[14] followed by protests at the World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town on September 4 where South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was present.[15][16]

On 15 November 2019, Luyanda Botha received three life sentences for the rape and murder of Mrwetyana.[12] He will be eligible for parole after serving 25 years of his sentence.