A body, burned beyond recognition, was discovered meters from an evangelical church in Kroonstad, South Africa yesterday (4 April).

Many believe a gay woman, Nonki Smous, was the victim.

She was just 28 years old.

The charred body was found in the Seeisoville section of the township of Maokeng. Smoke had been spotted by residents the night before.

MambaOnline reports how an identity document discovered on the body indicates it was Smous.

However, police have stated the only way to properly identify the burned body will be with a DNA test.

Local LGBTI rights activist Nthabiseng Mokanyane said her relative Smous was well known for being out about her sexuality in the community.

She said Smous was last seen by her family on Saturday when she left for a funeral.

The 28-year-old has since gone missing. Her family have not heard from her since Saturday.

‘It is not a homophobic area, we always said that it is lesbian and gay friendly, so we are shocked.’ said Mokanyane.

‘We don’t know what to say or do. We are broken. It is really sad.’

The murder came a few days after Bloemfontein, the capital of the Free State, held a Pride parade at the weekend.

A OUT LGBT and Love Not Hate campaign study found 41% of LGBTI people in South Africa know someone who’s been murdered due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.