The events of Sunday 2 June 2019 will forever be fresh in the minds of Worcesterians and particularly the community of Zwelethemba.
The brutal murder of former Shoprite manager Beatrice Manuel (55) sent shock waves through the town and her colleagues at the local supermarket.
The three men accused of her murder, Bongani Dlongwana, Lulamile Sikhepu and Xolisa Mtyobile are currently on trial in the Western Cape High Court, which is sitting in Worcester.
Manuel was shot and killed on that Sunday morning after the three had entered the supermarket when she opened the doors for the staff who were reporting for duty.
Each accused was carrying a firearm and forced Manuel to lock the store and enter the cash office where store funds were held.
According to court documents, Manuel was killed inside the cash office and a post-mortem confirmed she had died from a gunshot wound to the head. The accused also robbed two staff members of their cellphones and fled the scene afterwards.
At the time she died Manuel had been with the Shoprite Group for 35 years and served as manager in Russell and Durban Streets.
In a previous interview with Standard shortly after her death, (“Sy het hard gewerk vir ons”, 6 June 2019), Manuel was described by her family as a people’s person.
Calls to the family for comment on the case have been unsuccessful.
