Woman’s body found in Free State field, activists call for state of emergency

The body of a 29-year-old woman has been found in a field outside Odendaalsrus in the Free State.

Residents of K3 section in Kutlwanong noticed the body just after 3am on Friday morning, with police responding to the scene shortly after.

Victim identified

Odendaalsrus detectives opened a case of murder after the woman’s body was found to have sustained multiple stab wounds to the back and face.

The motive for the murder is still unknown and police are asking for members of the public to assist investigators should they have any information on the incident.

The woman’s identify was initially unknown, but police have since released her name.

“At the time of the discovery, the victim was still unknown and she was declared deceased at the scene.

“During the course of the investigation, the deceased was later identified as Nomandithini George,” Free State police confirmed.

Police stressed that the identities of anyone who shared any information about the incident or any possible suspects to investigators would be protected.

GBVF state of emergency when?

Between April and June this year, the South African Police Service (Saps) opened 5 427 murder cases, down by 5.9% from the same period in 2025.

President Cyril Ramaphosa used his Heritage Day address to declare that “the abuse, rape and killing of women is not our heritage”.

In response, Not In My Name International (NIMNI) called on the president to treat gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) as a state of emergency.

GBVF was declared a national disaster in 2025, with NIMNI stating that that attitudes towards the scourge needed to change.

“For too long, cultural relativism has been used as a shield to protect patriarchal violence.

“The President’s assertion that there is no culture worthy of the name that diminishes the dignity of women is a critical step in correctly framing GBV, not as a cultural norm, but as a moral failing and a crime,” the activists stated.

NIMNI proposed specialised sexual offences courts, consequence for Saps members who did not treat complaints with urgency, and “community mobilisation that moves beyond awareness posters and into the homes where violence is normalised”.

“True patriotism requires us to confront the rot within our society, be it corruption, unemployment, or the scourge of drug abuse, that corrodes the ubuntu the President spoke of,” NIMNI concluded.