Body Found in Bo-Kaap Identified as Aspiring Actress Anela Madikazi

 

The body of 29-year-old aspiring actress and model Anela Madikazi, who was last seen on August 18, 2024, was discovered in a quarry in Bo-Kaap, Cape Town. She was wearing a long, light blue dress and a black leather jacket when she was last seen. Her body was found the next day around 5 p.m. by boys playing soccer near an abandoned rugby field on Strand Street.

The discovery was made before Madikazi’s family even knew she had passed. Earlier this week, her distraught family learned of her murder after searching for over a week. Madikazi’s mother, Bulelwa Madikazi, expressed her devastation, noting that Anela had been renting an apartment in Philippi and was in regular contact with her niece, often video-calling daily. It was unusual when she didn’t call the night she went missing.

Madikazi was last seen with her cousin in the city center. The two had been dealing with issues related to Anela’s boyfriend and had spent time at a pub on Long Street before visiting a friend. Anela left her cousin around 9 p.m., stating she was returning to her friend. She took a cab, and although her cousin remembered the address Anela gave the driver, she could not recall details about the vehicle or the driver.

When Anela did not return, her cousin initially posted about her disappearance on social media instead of filing a missing person report, causing tension within the family. Bulelwa recalled how her brother eventually identified Anela’s body, but they were not allowed to see her face due to disfigurement.

The victim’s mother suspects that Anela may have been in distress and jumped from the vehicle to escape danger. “My initial thought is that the driver tried to do something, and she decided to jump off into the quarry,” Bulelwa said.

Marc Truss, Chairperson of the Cape Town Central Community Policing Forum, indicated that Madikazi’s death appeared to be a result of gender-based violence. Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg stated that an inquest had been registered, and a post-mortem is pending to determine the exact cause of death.

Madikazi, who appeared as a model on the TV show "Hair to the Throne," was also an aspiring actress. Her tragic death has left her family and the community in deep mourning as they await answers.