"What haunts me the most isn't the fact that you're gone and taken away from us so soon, it's the thought of the fear and pain you experienced all alone."

This is the opening line of a tribute posted on Facebook by Khanya Mrwetyana, the sister of Uyinene Mrwetyana, who died in Cape Town at the hands of a post office employee who allegedly assaulted her, both physically and sexually, before killing her.

"I'm so sorry Bhelekazi (her clan name) …" Khanya writes in the post, which was published on Monday.

"I'm so sorry you had to be alive at a time where being a woman is all it takes to set a man off. Now we hold on to the memories we shared together and the thought of what could've become of you had that man not violated you.

"Hurt. That's what I am. That's what we all are."

The news of Uyinene's disappearance gripped the nation last week, with the hashtag #BringNeneHome trending as friends, family and members of the public searched for her after she was last seen at the Clareinch post office in Claremont the same day she disappeared – Saturday, August 24.

Charges of murder, rape

Flowers and cards were placed outside the post office on Tuesday, after its doors were closed to protesters.

The man accused of the heinous crime made an appearance at the Wynberg Magistrate's Court and is facing charges of murder, rape and defeating the ends of justice.

In her moving tribute, Khanya reveals how deeply her sister's murder has affected her, writing: "All air has left my lungs and my heart is right there below my knees".

She then wraps it up by highlighting the lack of safety felt by women in the country. "We move around wondering who's next because it just doesn't stop … Uyinene, you're still my baby sister and always will be. I love you so much … fly away my butterfly".