Cape Town Pensioner Beheaded in Grisly Attack; Sister Arrested
Cape Town, South Africa – A quiet street in Bellville South has become the scene of unimaginable horror following the discovery of the dismembered body of a 79-year-old woman, allegedly murdered by her sister. The victim, Constance “Connie” Scholtz, was found beheaded inside her own home, prompting shock and disbelief among family and neighbours.
The grim discovery unfolded after Scholtz's son, Morne, forced his way into his mother's flat. What initially seemed like a minor anomaly – dishevelled curtains in the usually meticulously kept home of "Aunty Connie" – quickly unravelled into a scene of unimaginable brutality.
The victim's sister, 63-year-old Aletta Rose, has been arrested and charged with the gruesome murder. Western Cape police spokesperson Captain FC van Wyk confirmed that the motive for the attack remains under investigation.
The unsettling events began when residents noticed the uncharacteristically untidy curtains at Scholtz's home. Concerned neighbours called out to the elderly woman, wanting to ensure she was safe, as she lived alone. Rose reportedly peered out of the window, calmly telling them that Scholtz had gone to Robertson and would return later, while she tidied the flat for her older sister.
However, this explanation failed to reassure Margaret van der Merwe, who lives across the road and is Morne's mother-in-law. Van der Merwe alerted Morne, who rushed to his mother's home shortly after 13:00 on Thursday.
Van der Merwe watched as Rose answered the door and spoke to Morne, but did not invite him inside. Morne later told his mother-in-law that Rose repeated the same story – that Connie was out of town and would return over the weekend. Rose then escorted her nephew off the property and locked the front gate behind him with a padlock, an action Van der Merwe found unusual.
Adding to the suspicion, Van der Merwe noted that Rose did not turn around to walk back into the flat, but instead "reversed" to the front door. It was a neighbour on the second floor who then spotted a large bloodstain on the back of Rose's T-shirt and informed Morne, prompting his return to the flat.
When Rose refused to open the door, Morne and neighbours kicked down the gate and forced their way inside. Sources told News24 that Morne discovered buckets filled with bloody water and a blood-soaked mop in the bathroom. Small trails of blood led him further into the flat, where he found his mother's severed hands hidden under a bed in one of the bedrooms.
As police flooded the property, the full horror of the crime began to emerge. More body parts were discovered dumped inside a black wheelie bin, while others – including Scholtz's head – were stuffed into Tupperware containers and placed neatly on a shelf in the kitchen.
According to Van der Merwe, Morne collapsed when asked to identify his mother's remains. Morne declined to speak to News24, stating that his mother-in-law had already told News24 "everything" and adding that the "law must take its course".
Neighbours who gathered at the flat described watching in disbelief as police officers carried "two white bags of body parts" to the forensic vehicles. "Some of the officers vomited in the road when they offloaded the bags," said neighbour Linda Lotter, who witnessed Rose being handcuffed and placed in a police van.
Resident Sammy Brown, a close friend of Scholtz, expressed her disbelief, saying she could not comprehend that Scholtz was "chopped up like she was nothing". "What upsets me the most is that [Rose] cleaned that place so spotlessly before Morne or the police got there, then still had time to put a whole head inside a Tupperware. I get sick just thinking about it."
Neighbours caught glimpses of the inside of the flat when police left the front door open, but were later moved away after bystanders began taking photos of the containers on the kitchen table.
Relative Catherine Simmers said Rose did not live with Scholtz and had only been visiting after they buried their brother in the area the previous weekend. "What is also so shocking is that we heard no screams, nothing. Our house is not even 10 steps from Connie’s. We usually hear everything because we live in a cul-de-sac," she said. She added that the sisters never displayed any conflict.
The family described Scholtz as a vibrant and particular woman – a "neat freak" with a sharp sense of humour who always had something to say. Just days before her murder, she had been seen walking home from a nearby supermarket with her sister and appeared to be in good spirits.
Insiders close to the investigation told News24 that seasoned police officers were struggling to process the scene. Some became physically ill, while others were so disturbed they have since been booked off duty. Another stated that the dismemberment appeared calculated, with the cuts deliberate and precise.
Rose appeared in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court on Monday, where it emerged that she was previously convicted and sentenced for murdering her brother-in-law in 1997. No further details on the murder were provided. The State said it would oppose bail should Rose apply for it at her next court appearance on Monday.
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