Ten years after the murder of Franziska Blöchliger: Community unites for safety
Ten years after the rape, robbery and murder of 16-year-old Franziska Blöchliger, GBV organisations, SANParks and neighbourhood watches joined hands on Saturday, to remember her and to spread awareness about safety following the brutal attack.
Image: Parkscape Facebook
Ten years after the rape, robbery, and murder of 16-year-old Franziska Blöchliger, gender-based violence (GBV) organisations, SANParks, and neighbourhood watches joined forces on Saturday to remember her and raise awareness about safety following the brutal attack.
The group included organisations such as Parkscape, SANParks - Table Mountain National Park, SANParks Honorary Rangers, Women of Westlake Village Child Protection Organisation, KCW - Kirstenhof Crime Watch, and Kirstenhof SAPS, which held a memorial and awareness walk on Saturday, March 7, in Tokai Forest.
Parkscape shared pictures of the memorial walk and released a statement : “We remember the young life so brutally taken. We remember the decision to take back our beloved forest,” it stated. “We remember our decision to form Parkscape. Ten years... And yet it seems like yesterday. But from the brutality and senseless violence of 7 March 2016, in which young Franziska Blöchliger lost her life, from those ashes a phoenix was born.
"Parkscape has worked tirelessly from that day to ensure a safe space for women and children, and we will continue to do so. Our deepest and most sincere thanks to all those who joined us in remembering today. We extend equal thanks to our community partners and friends who have supported our work. We couldn't do this without you.”
Franziska Blöchliger.
Image: file
It said ten years ago, on Monday, 7 March 2016, 16-year-old Franziska Blöchliger was found raped and murdered in the fynbos of Lower Tokai, just 10 metres away from the edge of the plantation.
“The memory is etched vividly and forever in our minds, having arrived at the forest for a dog walk to find the corner of Dennendal West Avenue and Orpen Road congested with emergency vehicles,” Parkscape stated. “We knew something bad had happened, but until a member of the Kirstenhof Crime Watch walked towards us mouthing the word 'Dead', we had no idea of the severity of the incident or the horrific act of gender-based violence that had been committed.”
“In shock and silence, we made an immediate decision, with members of the Kirstenhof Crime Watch, to reclaim the forest there and then, to walk in the eerie stillness of the lingering horror that haunted our beloved forest.
"On the same day, having warned SANParks in 2007 of exactly this risk, we made the decision to form Parkscape. Our vision was, and remains, to create safe, biodiverse, open, and shaded urban parks in the buffer zones of Table Mountain National Park, starting with Lower Tokai as a model.”
The group supplied ribbons and also walked to the site of Franziska’s cross, the exact spot where she was killed.
Howard Oliver received two life sentences and 15 years in the Western Cape High Court for the murder, two counts of rape, and robbery of the teenage jogger in Tokai Forest. Oliver, 28, and a father of two, confessed to grabbing the 16-year-old, fracturing her hyoid bone while silencing her, dragging her into the fynbos, and raping her after stealing her phone, earphones, and ring. He left her to inhale sand and blood after burying her head. Following his conviction in June 2017, Oliver wrote a letter asking for forgiveness, claiming an "evil spirit" and divine instruction to confess
Ten years after the rape, robbery and murder of 16-year-old Franziska Blöchliger, GBV organisations, SANParks and neighbourhood watches joined hands on Saturday, to remember her and to spread awareness about safety following the brutal attack.
Image: Parkscape Facebook
Advocate Lenro Badenhorst rejected this, noting Oliver's shifting religious stance and earlier denial of guilt, arguing that Oliver lacked sincere remorse and only confessed after overwhelming DNA and state evidence. Oliver had ten prior convictions, including robbery and theft. The National Prosecuting Authority welcomed the sentence, hoping it sends a strong message against crimes targeting women and children.