The daughter of former Economic Freedom Fighters secretary-general and attorney Godrich Gardee has been found dead by some members of the public who were on their way to work in a bush which is about +/- 45 kilometers from Nelspruit CBD on Tuesday.
When police arrived on the scene on Tuesday 3 April, the lifeless body of the woman, who has now been identified by her family as Harriet Gardee was discovered.
The postgraduate student Hillary Gardee, 28- year-old, who is residing at Kamagugu just outside Nelspruit was last seen on Friday, 29 April 2022 at Spar Supermarket in Nelspruit.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson Colonel Donald Mdluli said the victim was with a 3-year-old girl during her disappearance.
“Surprisingly, the child was found but Gardee was nowhere to be found. She was reported missing by her family on Saturday, 30 April 2022. Gardee has never returned home since then,” he said in a statement.
Police in Mpumalanga are probing a murder case and preliminary investigation revealed that she had bruises on her head.
“She was still wearing the same clothes she was wearing on the day of her disappearance. Her personal belongings appear to have been stolen by her assailant(s). A team of investigators has been assembled.,” he added.
The Minister of Police, Bheki Cele also visited the scene on Tuesday where the lifeless body of the victim was found, Cele expressed that they will work around the clock to ensure that the culprits are brought to book.
“We have a criminal that murdered a human being, a young girl and it does look like brutally, how she was murdered. Let us get that person who will help us if there are politics in it, economics, or even if it is just hate, expressed Cele.
He further said that comforting the family is not enough as there is more to be done.
“We need to know who did it and why that person did it and usually we bring these people to the light so that anybody can see. We give ourselves 72 hours, we want to give ourselves less this time,” he added.
Meanwhile the EFF Commander in Chief, Julius Malema is expected to visit the bereaved family in Nelspruit on Wednesday.
The party said the heartbreaking news has left the Gardee family and the collective leadership of the EFF at loss for words and devastated.
“We send our deepest condolences and sympathies to Commissar Gardee and the family and those close to Hillary and we mourn with the family. We will provide a helping hand to ensure that her memory is preserved and she goes to her final resting place with dignity.,” said EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo.
The party said in a statement that the family at this time is still reeling from the terrible news of the loss of their child and as such is not in a position to speak to the media or the public.
“We appreciate all the effort of those in the public sphere, who formed part of the effort to find Hillary Gardee. We thank the people of South Africa for banding together behind a self-less activist, and we thank all members of the EFF for rallying behind our former SG and Commissar, who has dedicated his life to the liberation of our people. May this chapter, which ended in such an unfortunate manner be instructive to all of us on the scourge of Gender-based Violence and the need to fight against the war on the women of this country” said Thambo.
The victim was born in Lagos Nigeria in 1994, she was doing a Post Graduate Diploma in Information Technology with the Univerity of South Africa, she was the firstborn daughter of Commissar Godrich Gardee, and her loss has left immeasurable devastation.
Gardee told a news source on Monday that the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of her daughter are unknown.