Cape Town - Seven years after she was raped and murdered, the memory of 16-year-old Franziska Blöchliger lives on in Tokai, with her story a reminder to continue the fight against gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide.
A group of residents from Tokai and neighbouring communities this week went to the site where she was killed, and in a symbolic stand against GBV and femicide, tied hundreds of ribbons at the entrance of the Tokai Forest.
Blöchliger was jogging in Tokai Forest when she was raped, murdered, and her body abandoned in the fynbos on March 7, 2016.
The community initiated a search when she did not return to her mother’s car.
Jared van Wyk, who found her body during the search, told the Cape Times on Tuesday that it was the first time he had the courage to attend her memorial.
“I suffered for a very long time. I had to fight through a lot of emotions.
“A lot of ‘what ifs ...“I wondered what if I’d arrived five minutes or 10 minutes earlier and if that would have maybe made a difference.
“I had a lot of anger about the incident and had to seek psychological help. I didn’t know Franziska personally, but she is close to my heart – and with that, you do suffer all the stages of grief.
“Even coming here brings back a lot of emotions and a lot flashbacks of that dark day.
“It is a terrible thing that has happened here, and one of the good things that has come out of it is that it brought the community closer together,” he said.
Blöchliger’s murderer, Howard Oliver, admitted in court to killing and raping the teenager.
He was convicted of murder, rape, and robbery with aggravated circumstances and was sentenced to two life terms plus 15 years in jail.
Parkscape chairperson Nicky Schmidt said they had taken a stand to prevent violence and brutality from impacting their community.
“We work daily to try and improve safety in the Lower Tokai area.
“Franziska’s life and death serves as our motivation for the creation of safe recreational spaces. We remember Franziska every year.
“A young life so brutally ended bears remembrance and honouring.
We remember because we don’t want to see another incident of this nature take place in Tokai,” she said.
Schmidt said regular patrols were now conducted in the area to ensure safety for forest users.
“In 2007, I warned SANParks that there would be an incident here simply because of the height and density of the vegetation. Franziska’s murder brought the community to a standstill.
It was so shocking that something that brutal could happen in this space which is our refuge and sanctuary.
“We said from the start that we would take back this space and that we would do all we could to prevent this kind of brutality from impacting our community again,” she said.
Resident Camilla Kotze said the memorial also served as a reminder to others who may have experienced gender-based violence that they were not alone.
“I was in my twenties when I heard about what happened to Franziska. It was quite a shock for the community.
It is amazing that she is still remembered like this, and it makes you think about all the women in Cape Town and all over South Africa who have been through something tragic like this. This memorial serves as a tribute to all those women as well,” she said.
The visit to Blöchliger’s murder site took place on the eve of International Women’s Day on March 8.
In South Africa, the day reflects upon how societies are divided by inequality and injustice towards women, but also celebrates the strides women have made in achieving gender parity.
Cape Times