“She was a lovely and cheerful person who kept the family together.”
This is how Moeketsi Duiker described his aunt Shirley Mtiyane, whose body was found on Sunday morning in Mofolo Park, Soweto.
Mtiyane, 67, was last seen on Thursday when she went for her regular daily exercise, running from Dube to Mofolo Park.
He said the family was devastated and initially expected her to return home alive.
“This is a big blow. We never expected this to happen. We are just trying to hold our pain, to arrange and get through the funeral, but my uncle also is not taking it well,” Duiker said.
According to the family, Mtiyane lived in Dube in a cottage separate from the main family house.
“It looks like she did the usual, went for a run, and never came back.”
The family found her handbag and car keys but her house keys were missing. They reported her missing to the Orlando police station.
With the assistance of community members, her body was found in a dilapidated toilet at the overgrown Shap Stadium close to Mofolo Park.
“The way she was there is obviously foul play. It was not like she was running and fell. She was bundled in an empty toilet. At this moment we don’t know what happened, but you could see she didn’t just fall there.”
He described her as an avid runner who was very energetic and full of life. “She was very friendly with people, everybody loved her. She loved us and she was a nice person.”
He added that one of his aunts who used to travel with Mtiyane was devastated.
“They were very close and did almost everything together. I know where she is, she is very devastated,” said Duiker.
Gauteng police spokesperson Col Dimakatso Sello said the body of a woman who was reported missing on September 29 was discovered on Sunday morning at a park in Moroka.
“The police have opened an inquest docket for further investigations.”
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