Police activate 72-hour plan to apprehend Hillary Gardee murderers

She was found by people who were on their way to work who alerted the police. Police Commissioner Bheki Cele visited the distraught family on Tuesday.

The death of Gardee’s daughter has sent shockwaves in and around KaMagugu just outside Mbombela. Hillary was last seen in the Nelspruit CBD last Friday.

She was with a three-year-old girl. The toddler was later found in the day. A missing person case was opened.

As condolences are pouring in, Police Minister Bheki Cele assured the family that the perpetrators will be brought to book.

“ Definitely it’s not our job to come and cry. Comforting the family is fine but they expect more than that. We just have to do what they expect us to do which is, they want to know who did it and why that person did it. Usually, we bring those people to the light so that anybody can see them. We give ourselves 72 hours, to give ourselves less than that this time.”

Family devasted by death

The family’s spokesperson Sinawo Tambo says the family is devastated and requested space to grief in peace. Tambo says the three-year-old is home and safe.
“As normal, one can imagine that a three-year-old, doesn’t have a comprehension of the gravity or the magnitude of the situation of this nature, but we must be able to say it was the three-year-old that made us realise that something is amiss in terms of Hillary’s disappearance because they were together and when she was found wandering the streets of Kamagugu, she was the one who said, ‘mummy is fighting, mummy of fighting.’ So she gave us an indication that she was held against her will somehow. She is here at home and being comforted. But I’m sure the child spiritually has a feeling that something is wrong in the situation like this.”

EFF national leadership including Julius Malema is expected to visit the Gardee family on Wednesday.