Cape Town - The body of a woman has been found on Camps Bay beach a week after a woman, who people believed went for a swim and never came out of the water, went missing, sparking a frantic search.
She left her belongings on the beach, but police were unable to identify her.
Police spokesperson Joseph Swartbooi confirmed that a passer-by spotted the body of an unknown woman on the beach in Camps Bay and the victim was declared deceased on the scene by the medical personnel.
“Camps Bay police registered an inquest for further investigation. Anyone with information that can assist with the identification of the victim is kindly requested to call Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
It remains unclear whether the two cases are related and if the body was that of the woman who disappeared into the ocean last week; the police are investigating both cases.
Camps Bay ward councillor Nicola Jowell said: “It is very sad that a body has washed up on Camps Bay Beach. It was found at 4.30am on Saturday morning. The body is not that of the woman who went missing just over a week ago (on Saturday January 21), it is a different person.
“This person is presumed to have been in the water for under 12 hours. The seas were incredibly rough yesterday and it is possible that she entered the water, not Camps Bay, however we don’t know.”
Jowell said police were trying to identify the person and would cross-check it against any missing people reports.
“This is an unusual situation, there are not often bodies that are washed up, although it does happen from time to time and hopefully the police will be able to identify the lady and inform her family so they can have closure,” Jowell said.
Camps Bay and Clifton CPF chairperson Alan Marsh said they were waiting for the autopsy results of the recent body.