The search for Mrs Colette Eksteen, the Stellenbosch women who went missing in Table Mountain last week, ended in tragedy, when her body was found by the Western cape Emergency Medical Services (EMS) rescue team.

Mrs Eksteen was reported missing by her daughter on February 19, with the provincial EMS rescue team calling in for the services of the drone rescue team when it was learned that Mrs Eksteen had been seen going up the mountain.

Her bag was found near the top.

Western Cape EMS spokesperson Deanna Bessick said a drone was sent up the mountain to comp the area early in the morning. It alerted the rescuers on foot when it located what seemed like a person lying behind the bushes in the afternoon.

“The body was eventually found by the EMS rescue team who assisted with the search by foot, as there were bushes that obstructed the view of the drone technician,” Ms Bessick said: “The woman presumably fell or jumped from the top of Table Mountain.”

Bessick said that the woman had been missing since Monday, and a missing person’s report had been filed with the police in Stellenbosch.

Confirming the development, South African National Parks spokesperson Lauren Clayton said the details leading up to her death were not yet known, and that the police could not confirm if the woman had jumped or fell.

She also said the police would be conducting DNA tests to confirm her identity.