Motive still unclear in Cypriot woman’s murder

Police in South Africa are investigating the murder of a woman of Greek and Cypriot origins, who was gunned down by a group of men outside her residence in Mpumalanga province.

According to media reports, businesswoman Helen Fanourakis was gunned down in Emalahleni, formerly known as Witbank, around 6:30pm local time on Sunday.

Local police said a group of men waited outside the Fanourakis residence in a security complex in the Del Juror area. When the victim pulled up on her driveway outside the gate, the men approached and shot her twice, according to media reports. Paramedics pronounced the woman dead at the scene where her husband identified the body.

The motive remained unclear as the perpetrators got away in the victim’s brand new pickup truck but the vehicle was later found abandoned about 10 kilometres away towards Pretoria.

Fanourakis, mother of two boys, was a prominent member at her local Greek community and she reportedly visited Cyprus last year. Women who had worked with her said Helen wasn’t simply a manager but a friend and a beautiful lady. 

A funeral service was scheduled to take place on Thursday at the Greek Orthodox Church, Lynnwood Road in Pretoria.