St Stithians College Mourns Cameron Waldeck-Cooks on Women's Day 2026

• St Stithians College marked Women's Day on 9 August 2026 while grieving the death of student Cameron Waldeck-Cooks
• Police confirmed Waldeck-Cooks was strangled and found at a Sabie lodge alongside 19-year-old Ethan Coetzee, who died by suicide
• The college used the occasion to honour the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Women's March and reaffirm its commitment to equality

St Stithians College in Johannesburg paid tribute to Cameron Waldeck-Cooks on Women's Day, 9 August 2026. The college shared a public acknowledgement on Instagram, honouring the young student while the school community remained in mourning.

Police confirmed that Waldeck-Cooks was strangled. Her body was discovered at a lodge in Sabie alongside that of 19-year-old Ethan Coetzee, who died by suicide. The circumstances of her death cast a sombre shadow over what is traditionally a celebratory national holiday.

In its post, the college described Waldeck-Cooks as "a deeply loved young woman in our Saints family" and said its thoughts were especially with her family on the day.

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“The tragic loss”: St Stithians under fire for handling of Cameron Waldeck-cooks murder case

St Stithians reflects on 70 Years since the Women's march

The school also used the occasion to mark a significant milestone in South African history. This year is the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Women's March, when more than 20,000 women marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest the extension of pass laws to women and to demand human rights, equality and social justice.

St Stithians acknowledged the courage of those women and recognised the progress their efforts helped bring about. At the same time, the college noted that much remains to be done to achieve genuine equality and dignity for all women.

Read the statement below on Instagram.

College reaffirms commitment to equality

The post closed with a pledge from the St Stithians community to continue working towards justice and equality, in the spirit of both the 1956 marchers and students like Waldeck-Cooks, whose loss the school is still processing.

The college's message resonated beyond its own community, drawing attention to a young life lost at a time when South Africa pauses to honour women across the country.

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Family points to new findings following death of St Stithians teen Cameron Waldeck-Cook

Cameron's brother, also named Ethan, took a completely different position in an Instagram post that circulated widely online. No person has been legally identified as Cameron's killer, and the South African Police Service has not publicly confirmed Ethan Coetzee's role. The investigation continues.

Ethan Coetzee's family breaks silence

Briefly News previously reported that the family of Ethan Coetzee broke their silence after preliminary post-mortem findings linked him to Cameron Waldeck-Cook's death

Cameron's brother Ethan publicly accused his sister's partner of murder in an emotional Instagram post .

Source: Briefly News