The stench of death hung over a small Pinetown complex where the decomposing bodies of two murdered newspaper veterans were discovered yesterday.
Independent Newspapers employee Kathleen (Kate) Lizamore and her husband, Graham Lizamore, a former newspaper editor, had only been living in Durban for one month and a week after moving here from the Eastern Cape.
Kate Lizamore's colleagues said she had not been at work since Wednesday and a family member from Pietermaritzburg, Patricia Hayes, had called to find out if they had heard from her because she had been unable to get hold of the couple since Monday.
Yesterday Hayes managed to get the police to check on them at their house in Rushbrook Road South, in Mosley Park, only to discover that the house had been locked.
KwaZulu-Natal Police spokesman Vincent Mdunge said on inspection police had found the 62-year-old man and his 50-year-old wife dead.
"Their bodies were slumped in the toilet. The man had his hands tied behind his back with a rope and the wife's head was covered with what looked like a refuse bag. Their bodies were already in a state of decomposition."
A neighbour said she had last seen the couple on Wednesday. The Lizamores were having some painting work done at their home by the local complex caretaker.
The neighbour said they were busy painting when she heard what sounded like an altercation between Graham Lizamore and the complex's caretaker. She said she locked herself in her house and after a while there was silence.
That same night the complex caretaker and his girlfriend, who had been living with him on the premises, packed up their belongings and left. There were blood stains on the curtain of their flatlet.
Mdunge said they were still investigating and had not established the cause of death because of the decomposition. He said it was not clear if they had been strangled.
"Because of the level of heat their bodies were already in a state of decomposition but they were fully clothed.
"Nothing was stolen from the house. There is also no evidence of forced entry".
The couple had arrived in Durban last month and Kate Lizamore had got a job with Independent Newspapers Special Projects.
Kate Lizamore's line manager,Vinesh Naidoo, said they were all shocked by her death. She had worked at media houses across the country.
Graham Lizamore had been employed by the then Argus group, which became Independent Newspapers after it was bought out by Irish entrepreneur Sir Anthony O'Reilly. He had worked in editorial sections of the Cape Argus and Star titles.
He also worked for Johnnic Communications, now the Avusa group, overseeing the relaunch of the old Kei Mercury community newspaper in King William's Town. Graham Lizamore had also been accredited with the launches of The Barberton Times, The Natural Farmer, The Coastal Profile and The Mpumalanga Tourist.
On his wife's 50th birthday in April, Lizamore had written the following on his Facebook page: "Happy birthday dear Katey, my wife and closest companion, who is always the first to come to the aid of those who need help no matter the time nor circumstance. Enjoy today and countless more."
- In another tragedy in Pinetown on Friday, an 84-year-old woman was found dead in her bathroom at a property in Hoogvorst Road.
According to police reports, a hosepipe was found in her mouth and attached to a tap. No foul play is suspected and an inquest docket has been opened.
The woman's name has not yet been released.