Two young teenagers have been found dead with their bodies cut with a knife after they strayed away from a dead relative's night vigil.
Woman found dead (File photo)
Free State police were on Sunday questioning a few individuals after the bodies of two teenage girls identified as Thato Salemane and Tumisang Lengau were found with stab wounds in Botshabelo area of South Africa at the weekend, DailySun ZA has reported.
The girls aged 16 and 18 were said to be attending night vigil in K-section on Friday for one of their relatives who had died when the act happened, said Colonel Thandi Mbambo.
They were last seen at around midnight, when they left the vigil to buy cigarettes at a nearby tavern in the area, about 45km east of Bloemfontein. On Saturday morning people making their way to work stumbled upon their semi-naked bodies, not far from each other.
The bodies, dumped in an open field between K-section and the industrial area, had multiple stab wounds. Based on the positioning of the bodies, they might also have been r*ped, Mbambo said.
The provincial trio task team is investigating.
"To have such young vulnerable women killed in this barbaric manner is appalling and cannot be tolerated," said Major-General Jones Qhobosheane, the provincial deputy police commissioner for crime detection.
"We are therefore inviting the community to work with us to identify those responsible so they can be removed from society."
Anyone with information can contact Detective Constable Buza Monyaki on 078 265 0205 or Crime Stop on 08600 10111.