The family of Luyanda Cele (24) from Umlazi, south of Durban in KwaZulu Natal has finally spoken about their loss after her mutilated body was found dumped in one of the city's busiest streets. Luyanda went missing on Friday after leaving her workplace and her body was found on Monday morning missing a tongue and a lower lip. 

A NEW JOB 

Luyanda's sister Lungile who spoke to ZiMoja, said her sister had just started a job as an intern at eThekwini Municipality's Occupational Health and Safety department when she was murdered. "She has recently graduated, and she was excited when she got the job," Lungile said. The sister added that Luyanda had only worked for the municipality for three days when her life was cut short.  

GOD-FEARING WOMAN  

When Lungile went missing on Friday afternoon, there were reports that she went out to have drinks with an unknown male friend. However, her sister Lungile says that was news to them and that Luyanda was a God-fearing woman who was not drinking or sleeping out. "There was never a time where she did not sleep at home. It is news to us that she met her death while she went out to a club with an unknown man. She informed us that she was going to be late but never mentioned anything about going out with a male friend. Even her close friends do not know anything about those allegations," she said. 

 
 DIED HOLDING TIGHT TO HER WEAVE 

According to Lungile, when they found her sister's body, her belongings, including her handbag and cellphone where missing but she had her weave inside her hand.

"She was holding it very tight. It looked like there was a struggle over it and she died holding it," Lungile said. The family is currently stuck now being able to bury her as her ID is missing. "It's difficult We can't make funeral arrangements without her ID, we can barely do anything because everywhere we go they need an ID" she said. 

 
 FAMILY DEVASTATED  

Lungile further told ZiMoja that the family was devastated about her sister's murder and that they were still trying to come to terms with it. "We are heartbroken about her death especially the manner in which she was killed. We are used to seeing such stories on TV. What shocked us the most is that Luyanda is not the first woman to be found murdered and dumped near South Beach. It seems as if there is a group of human traffickers that deal in killing women and cutting off their body parts," claimed Lungile. Meanwhile, KwaZulu-Natal Social Development MEC, Nonhlanhla Khoza has called upon the law enforcement agencies to spare no effort in their investigation in Luyanda's murder. Khoza said it was disheartening that the promising life of a young woman with a bright future ahead of her can be cut short and no one got arrested. "We cannot continue business as usual while our children get murdered like this. The death of women affects us all as we are busy dealing with an increasingly unacceptably high number of cases of gender-based violence in this province," she said.