Imani Tshakeni, a 19-year-old pilot student from Mount Frere in the Eastern Cape, had her aspirations of becoming a professional pilot tragically cut short last weekend. She was allegedly raped, killed, and had her hands tied behind her back in Durban, KwaZulu Natal.

DREAMS CUT SHORT

Tshakeni was a second-year pilot student at the Focus Air School in Durban. She was meant to do ground studies to complete her course this year. Last Saturday, along with her friends, the pilot student went to the popular KwaBulawayo tavern in Sydenham in Durban to have fun and drink. Later on, the same night, Tshakeni's friends allegedly left her at the tavern with a man she had just met. The friends would later tell her family that the man assured them that he would safely drop her back home.

RAPED AND KILLED

Tshakeni's cousin Nomfuneko Mbundwin told ZiMoja that she went missing on Saturday and that her phone was ringing when they tried calling her. "We tried calling her again on Sunday, but she still wasn't picking up. When she did not return our calls on Sunday, we decided to open a missing person case on Monday with the police," the cousin said. "We then asked her three friends, who told us that there was a guy that Imani was busy with in a tavern, so they left her with him since the guy promised to drop her home. They told us that it was the first time they met the guy," Mbundwin said, adding that on Tuesday, they went to the tavern, and luckily, they had cameras outside the venue. We managed to get the footage where the guy is seen dragging her into his car and forcing her to drive," she said. Tshakeni was found raped, killed, and her hands tied behind her back on Wednesday in Canelands in Verulam outside Durban.

VIDEO FOOTAGE

ZiMoja has video footage of Tshakeni being dragged into a car by an unknown man while other patrons look on. "All we want is justice for her. The man who killed her deserves to rot in jail. We want him to tell the court why he killed her. We want him arrested because the footage is not clear, but if you know someone, it is easy to identify that person. We are pleading with the public to help us with information about the man in the footage," KZN SAPS spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said. The woman has been identified as the person who was reported missing at Sydenham SAPS. "Police in Verulam are investigating a case of murder following an incident in which the body of a woman was allegedly found with what looked like assault injuries on her body. Her body was allegedly found at Canelands," he said.