Stellenbosch police have urged residents with information about the deaths of a university student and his girlfriend to come forward.
Nineteen-year-old first-year student, Ethan Kirkland and 18-year-old Leila Lees were reported missing over the weekend.
Following an extensive search for the couple, their bodies were discovered on Monday morning.
The car the couple was travelling in darted through a fence and landed on its roof inside a big hole, in a yard along Bird Street.
The Stellenbosch municipality said that extensive excavations on the property began after 1990, but the development for a multi-residential building was halted because the owner was in breach of the construction conditions.
Mourners have been gathering at the site to pay their respects to the two young people.
“Firstly, my condolences to the parents and all the people affected. I think for us as a student community it’s really sad to see. Unfortunately, accidents happen on a daily basis but this is really tragic to see,” one community member said.
A resident who lives in the same complex as Kirkland said that he most likely drove passed the crash site after the accident happened.
“Who knows, maybe if I had seen the car, maybe I could have helped. It’s weighing heavily on my heart about it. Even though I didn’t know them personally, since they lived in my building, I still feel very guilty, in a way, even though this is in no way my fault,” the resident said.
Meanwhile, Stellenbosch University management said that they were still reeling from shock following the deaths of Kirland and Lees.
The university’s deputy vice-chancellor for learning and teaching, Professor Deresh Ramjugernath has also extended his condolences to Lees’ sister, who is a student at the university.
“The loss of a student, even more so in tragic circumstances like this, is a blow to the whole campus community. Our hearts go out to the families of Ethan and Leila, whose lives were cut short by this tragedy. They had a bright future ahead of them and we cannot imagine the amount of pain their parents and loved ones are going through at this point.”
A candle-light memorial service for the couple will be held on the Maties campus on Thursday, on what would have been Lees’ 19th birthday.
-EWN
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