We Demand Answers

Hombisa died under mysterious circumstances while working on a cruise ship - now her family want to know what happened to her

- By Kim Abrahams

The year started well for the young woman – she had a great job which would provide financial security and change her and her loved ones’ lives for the better.

A fixed monthly income meant Hombisa Mafuduka would finally be able to spoil her young daughter and support her family. The 30-year-old from the Eastern Cape was determined to seize the opportunity with both hands.

But three months after joining the housekeeping team on the cruise liner MSC Orchestra, Hombisa was found dead on board when the ship returned to Durban from Mozambique.

There are conflicting reports on the cause of her death, which remains clouded in mystery, as well as when exactly she died, how her body was found and who the last person was to see her alive.

MSC reported that Hombisa collapsed and died after becoming ill and vomiting blood. But according to the police and a doctor who performed the post-mortem, her neck was broken and she’d suffered a head injury before she died.

Hombisa’s family is convinced there was foul play. “We believe she was murdered,” her aunt, Lulama Mafuduka, tells YOU from the family’s home in Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape.

“It’s the only explanation that makes sense to us.”

MSC says a police investigation is underway and until it’s completed, they won’t be able to give her family the answers they so desperately want.