ZIMBABWE – A 38-year-old woman who had been reported missing after a night out with friends was found dead in her brother’s car, police in Bulawayo have said.

The now-deceased Thulisile Dube left her parents’ Old Magwegwe home at 4 PM on a Saturday after telling her mother she was going to meet friends in town.

She was supposed to sleep at her Pelandaba West house later that night but failed to arrive and her phone rang unanswered.

On Tuesday, police called Dube’s family, informing them that the vehicle she was driving, a Honda Fit, had been found in the bushes in Emganwini suburb west of the city.

Her mother, Margret Dube, said her body was slumped on the floor of the car between the front and back seats facing down and had some marks on the back of her neck and shoulders.

Police are questioning several people who came into contact with her on Saturday, including her friends to ascertain what may have happened.

Thulisile’s mother said her daughter lives in South Africa and arrived in Bulawayo on a Thursday in the company of her brother for a week-long visit.

She said before going to bed on Saturday, she had called Thulisile who “kept saying she was coming as she was still with her friends” and never arrived home.

On Sunday morning, Dube called Thulisile’s friends who said they separated at 5 AM close to her Pelandaba West home. She said:

This does not sit well with me because friends are the most trusted people.

Personally, I don’t have friends but our children have friends and they were enjoying themselves. You cannot trust a friend when something like this happens.

I’m still waiting for information on how the car got to Emganwini and the whereabouts of some of her belongings.