Killed for a packet of chips and cigarettes
The family of the late Ellen Malan, an 87-year-old great-grandmother who was found strangled to death in her Tafelsig home on Saturday September 28, are still reeling in shock.
Ms Malan’s body was discovered around noon on Saturday by her grandson-in-law Dimitri Karelse, who lives nearby. She was murdered during Older Persons Week, which runs from September 26 to October 2 to honour the elderly and raise awareness about issues that impact them.
“My husband still checked up on her the night before and took her some snacks. They had a conversation, and she told him that she wanted a different flavour of crisps. He promised to bring her some the next day.
“She told him she loved him, and that she really appreciates everything he does for her. Only for him to find her like that the next day,” Megan Karelse, Ms Malan’s granddaughter, told the Plainsman on Tuesday.
“They broke into her house and killed her for a packet of chips and cigarettes.
“Whoever did this, didn’t just kill an old woman – they took away a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
“No words can describe what we feel, it is shocking and she didn’t deserve to die like this. My granny was a very loving and respected person in the community. She helped a lot of people in the community and many people talk about growing up in her house.
“She got very ill last year April and we thought she wasn’t going to make it, but she fought to stay alive. She told us we still needed her. Only to be murdered like this?”
Ms Karelse said her grandmother lived on her own for close to nine years and stayed in her Steenboksberg Street home for 44 years. “She was a very independent person. So much so, that she would fix her own broken appliances. She even built her own wall around her house, including mixing the cement by herself,” she said.
Ms Karelse said while Ms Malan lived alone and was bedridden since April last year, she was well cared for.
“My granny lived alone because that is what she wanted. We all offered to take her in but she refused.
“We saw and checked up on her every day. I live around the corner from her and my brother lives opposite her. My kids would go there every day and watch Elif with her. They would have long conversations and laugh together,” she recalled.
Ms Karelse added that she can’t comment on how the perpetrators gained entry into the house and whether any items, besides her granny’s crisps and cigarettes, were missing due to an ongoing police investigation.
“I just don’t want anyone to turn a blind eye on this. We hope as a family that justice gets served,” she added.
Ward 92 councillor Norman Adonis visited Ms Malan’s family over the weekend to offer his condolences.
“It's with great sadness that we have experienced such a tragedy that never should have happened. This could have been my granny. In fact, she was everyone's granny,” he said.
Condemning the murder, he urged the community to protect their elderly parents and grandparents.
“What happened is very tragic. Sometimes our elderly live independent lives and don’t want to be taken care of but I want to appeal to the community to be vigilant and take care of their parents and grandparents,” Mr Adonis said.
Benji Williams, vice-chairperson of the Mitchell’s Plain Community Police Forum, echoed his sentiments.
“This is very sad for the Tafelsig family who lost their mom of 87 like this. I am disgusted by whoever did this, [they have] no respect for our seniors.
“My heart goes out to this elderly woman and what she must have gone through in her final hours being strangled.
“Our plea to children of elderly parents, especially of those pensioners who live on their own, is that they care for them and be attentive to their needs at this vulnerable stage of their lives,” Ms Williams said.
Meanwhile, Brigadier Brian Muller, station commander of Mitchell’s Plain police station, has confirmed that an investigation into Ms Malan’s death is under way.
Brigadier Muller said claims doing the rounds on social media that her throat was slit, are untrue.
No arrests have been made yet.
“Our members are investigating the matter. We appeal to anyone with information to contact the police station,” Brigadier Muller appealed.
Ms Malan is survived by four of her five children, eight grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. The family are still finalising funeral arrangements.