THE BITTER TRUTH

THE family of 16-year-old Chanelle Plaatjies have been left devastated after learning that it was indeed her body that was found in a shallow grave in Paarl East last week.

They have asked for space to mourn the teenager after DNA tests confirmed the gruesome find on 2 June near to where her sisters stumbled upon one of her shoes in a wooded area about a kilometre from their house was her.

Chanelle was last seen on 14 May but was only reported missing two weeks later on 28 May.

The delay in reporting, the family says, was due to the hope that she would return home, as she usually did when she went out with friends.

The breakthrough in the search came when her sisters found one of her shoes in the bos close to their Smarty Town home.

It was this discovery that led to the unearthing of a body believed to be that of a young woman.

At the time, Chanelle’s parents said they did not believe their daughter was dead.

But on Tuesday, they found out the heartbreaking truth.

Her older sister Melleney Hugo said: “We have had meetings the whole day and all we want to do as the family is to mourn Chanelle and arrange her funeral. We need space and we can’t comment on anything.”

Rural and Farmworkers Development Organisation chairperson Billy Classen assured the family that they won’t pay for the funeral.

Classen says: “We will take care of everything, from arranging the funeral to the burial.”

Chanelle’s family asked for the police not to drag the case as they did with the slain four-year-old Mia Botha’s case.

Little Mia was found murdered in Nederberg, Paarl on 25 September 2022, but to date no arrests have been made.

The family says: “We would like to request that the police keep the investigating officer and not hand the case over to other officers, as they did with the Mia case. The detective was very good and thorough when my sister went missing.

“We don’t want to find ourselves years from now asking questions about Chanelle’s cold case.”

Police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk said: “Be advised that the DNA results were received on Tuesday and confirmed that the body of a female discovered buried in the woods in Paarl East near to prison is indeed 16-year-old Chanelle Plaatjies. Investigation continues.

“We appeal to anyone who can shed light on the circumstances surrounding this incident to please call Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or use the mobile app MySAPS.”