Body of missing Durban student Asemahle Maqolo found
An Eastern Cape mother is preparing
to return home with the body of her 21-year-old daughter, who had been missing
for nearly three weeks.
Asemahle Maqolo was a journalism student at Berea College in Durban.
The circumstances surrounding her disappearance remain unclear.
Her former lecturer, Sandile Mthembu, said he was alerted about the disappearance by a college counsellor and helped Maqolo's mother, Zoliswa, to look for her daughter.
He said he received a call from an unknown woman last Thursday evening.
READ: EC mom criss-crossing Durban for missing daughter
"She didn't want to disclose herself. The first question she asked me was, ‘Am I Sandile?’ And I said, ‘Yes’. And she said, ‘Can I confirm which card Asemahle Maqolo was using?’" Mthembu explained.
"And I called her mom immediately, and I found out, and then they said it's Nedbank. I went back to her, and I told her, and she said, ‘I think we found her, but it's in the bushes in Clermont KwaDabeka’."
Mthembu said Asemahle was found with some clothes and a bank card beside her.
Her mother, who travelled to Durban earlier this month, identified her body on Friday.
"To be quite honest, she's pretending to be strong. That is one of the things that worries me the most," said Mthembu.
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"I remember the only thing she kept on saying was, 'Oh my daughter'.
"There's nothing painful than seeing a mother trying to be strong for everyone around her, but when you get to realise you see that, no, she's actually the weakest.
"On Friday, I remember she was crying. She cried a bit when she was showing me their last chat with Asemahle," he added.
Mthembu said Asemahle's mother remains in the province, as police continue with their investigations.
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