Family, friends and members of the community will gather to say their final goodbyes to 19-year-old Lilitha Asemahle Hanisi, whose disappearance ended in tragedy after her body was discovered in an open field in Citrusdal, Western Cape.
Hanisi’s funeral service is scheduled to take place at 10:00 at St John’s Apostolic Church of Prophecy in Mceula, Cala, where her loved ones will come together to remember the young woman whose life was tragically cut short.
The tragedy has left Hanisi’s family devastated, with what should have been a time of celebration during Women’s Month instead becoming a painful period of mourning.
Hanisi was a Business Management N5 student at West Coast College’s Citrusdal campus. She was reported missing on Monday, 3 August 2026, after attending a college event and later making plans to spend time with friends at a local tavern.
According to information shared by her family, Hanisi had been drinking alcohol that evening. It is alleged that she was later seen in the company of an older man who was not known to her friends.
Her friends reportedly became concerned and attempted to take Hanisi with them. However, the family alleges that the man refused to allow her to leave and became aggressive towards the group.
According to the allegations, the man assaulted Hanisi’s friends during the confrontation. Hanisi was reportedly quiet throughout the incident and did not say much before her friends eventually left the area.
What happened to the 19-year-old after her friends departed remains unclear.
The search for Hanisi continued for several days as her family and loved ones hoped that she would be found alive. Their worst fears were confirmed on Sunday, 9 August, when police discovered her body in an open field near the Olifants River in Citrusdal.
Police reportedly found the body at around 11:00. Emergency medical personnel were called to the scene but sadly declared Hanisi dead.
Authorities have since opened a murder investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death. Details about the investigation and whether anyone has been arrested have not been confirmed in the information provided by the family.
Hanisi’s death has left those who knew her struggling to come to terms with the loss of a young woman who still had much of her life ahead of her.
Her family will now lay her to rest, closing a heartbreaking chapter that began with the search for a missing daughter and ended with the devastating discovery of her body.
As mourners gather to remember Lilitha, her loved ones are expected to celebrate the life she lived while seeking answers about the circumstances that led to her untimely death.
May Lilitha Asemahle Hanisi’s soul rest in eternal peace, and may her family and friends find strength during this difficult time.
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