A man believed to be responsible for his wife’s murder has been arrested and is due to appear in court on Monday 17 July.
The man, whose identity has been withheld for legal reasons, is accused of killing his wife following an argument.
The shocking incident happened on Sunday 25 June, at Kanana informal settlement, Gugulethu.
It is alleged the man stabbed his wife in the arm and chest.
She was taken to hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries.
Gugulethu Police Station commander Brig Nokuthula Pete confirmed the incident. She said a murder case was opened.
“The victim died later in hospital after she was stabbed multiple times. According to the information that the police received from the family, the victim was stabbed by her husband after an argument while they were drinking with others,” she said.
Pete said the suspect is behind bars and will apply for bail when he makes his next court appearance.
An investigation is ongoing to decide the fate of the accused. The motive for the killing is unknown at present.
Ward 40 councillor Bongani Ngcombolo described the perpetrator as a coward who does not deserve to be among people. He said, as community members, they condemned gender based violence (GBV).
“Regardless of what had happened, the culprit was not supposed to kill his wife. Imagine dying in the hands of a person who claims to love you. We want the culprit to rot in jail. We have no space here for him,” said Ngcombolo.
He vowed to support the victim’s family in court and urged men to speak out instead of suppressing their feelings.
“Men are quiet by their nature. It might have happened that in whatever argument they had she touched something that occurred a long time ago and the husband got angry. But that is not an excuse. His arrest will be a good precedent to other people who think assaulting women and children is okay,” he said.
Ngcombolo compared GBV to a pandemic and called on the government to act decisively against the offenders.