Shattered family mourns slain mom of two

Bruises around her neck and on her upper body are among the clues police have to go on to catch a killer after a Gqeberha mother of two was found lifeless on the floor of her boyfriend’s holiday home.

Vanessa van Rensburg, 36, was discovered lying on her back in the living room of the double-storey Oyster Bay house, her shoes next to her and with blood on her shirt.

Police were called to the house during the early hours of Easter Sunday, police spokesperson Captain Marius McCarthy said.

“We can confirm that St Francis Bay police opened a murder case after members responded to a complaint on April 20 at about 1.45am,” he said.

“Upon arrival at the scene, members found a 36-year-old female lying on the floor.

“She had bruises on her body and was declared dead on the scene by [emergency personnel].”

The large Kabeljou Street house was a regular weekend escape for Van Rensburg and her boyfriend, Rob Evans, according to family and friends.

When The Herald arrived at the house on Wednesday, someone had placed flowers on the front gate.

Evans is a well-known Nelson Mandela Bay businessman and former rugby player. 

Gqeberha lawyer Danie Gouws said Evans was a long-standing client of his firm.

“My client would like to express his condolences to the family and friends of the deceased, and he shares in their grief.

“He is deeply saddened by the death of Vanessa.”

The murder has rocked the close-knit community living in the otherwise peaceful seaside retreat.

Van Rensburg’s family are also demanding answers and say they have hired the services of a private investigator to help probe the murder.

Van Rensburg’s brother, Johan, who moved to Ireland with his wife and child in 2022, woke up to find his phone flooded with missed calls and messages at about 7am on Sunday.

Confused and still half-asleep, his wife called his mother back, only to be given the devastating news.

“Vanessa is dead,” Johan’s mother’s voice rang out.

Johan, 43, said the family was shattered. 

“We still don’t know what happened. We are in complete shock,” a distraught Johan, who caught the first available flight to Gqeberha, said. 

“Vanessa was a lovely sister — to me and to our other two sisters.

“She has two beautiful children who have now been left without a mother.”

Van Rensburg was the youngest of four siblings. 

Her own children are aged four and eight, respectively.

Johan said the last time she saw her children was on Good Friday.

“She played with them on the grass in the yard of their father’s home,” he said.

He said Van Rensburg grew up in Johannesburg before moving to Gqeberha.

She matriculated at DF Malherbe High School. 

“We had so much fun together. I still can’t believe she’s gone.

“She was always bubbly, always positive. She was truly selfless and would go out of her way to help others.

“She always put other people before herself. That’s just who she was.”

Johan said they had worked together at an engineering consultancy firm several years ago.

He said whenever she was hungry during lunch she would check if anyone else needed to eat as well, and then make them a sandwich “like it was the most normal thing in the world”. 

Johan described his sister as someone who had always worked hard, fulfilling administrative roles and handling HR tasks throughout her career.

At the time of her death she was working at Algoa Plastics, which is owned by Evans.

Johan choked up as he recalled the last conversation he had with his sister, just days before she was killed.

“She had called me, and in her sweet, familiar voice, told me how much she loved me and how much she missed me.

“I never imagined those would be the final words I’d hear from her.

“She was supposed to visit us here in Ireland in September.”

Johan said their parents were heartbroken. 

He said Van Rensburg had planned an Easter egg hunt for the children, which was meant to take place on Sunday.

Buks Degenaar of Calibre Security Service was the first person on the scene.

He said he received a phone call at 1.33am on Sunday from a security guard who told him something was “not right” at Evans’ house.

“I rushed over immediately,” Degenaar said.

“When I entered the house, I saw her lying motionless on the living room floor.

“It was clear something terrible had happened.”

Degenaar described the scene as chilling.

“I touched her cheek, but she was already ice cold,” he said.

Degenaar said police and a National Sea Rescue Institute representative arrived at the scene.

“There was nothing that could be done.”

He said Evans then arrived at the house with a group of people, asking where his girlfriend was.

“I told him she was dead,” he said. “He appeared emotional.”

According to police sources, the couple had arrived in Oyster Bay on Saturday afternoon.

According to them, from the visible marks and bruises on her legs and hands, it appeared as if she had fought back.

McCarthy said the investigation was ongoing.

At the time of publication, no arrests had been made. 

The Herald