A young man’s life was cut short after he was allegedly stabbed to death by a group of young women for breaking a bottle of gin.
According to reports, Zolani Toyana (23) was stabbed on Sunday evening 12 February, at Maphongwana Street in Site C.
READ | Hundreds gather at memorial for man allegedly stabbed to death over a bottle of gin
A scuffle reportedly broke out after Toyana, who had been drinking with a group of five girls, accidentally broke a bottle of alcohol.
This angered the girls.
One of them allegedly picked up a bottleneck and attacked him.
They also hurled stones at him as he fell to the ground.
His body was discovered by a passer-by the following morning at Maphongwana Street.
On Sunday 19 February, hundreds of mourners gathered at the Methodist Church of Southern Africa in Site C to celebrate Toyana’s life.
They called for the law to take its course against the culprits.
Thembakazi Toyana said the family was traumatised by the incident.
She added they are battling to come to terms with Zolani’s death.
“We are heartbroken by Zolani’s death. His death came as a shock to the family as a whole. We were expecting a lot from him as he was still young,” said Thembakazi.
Thembakazi said according to witnesses, Toyana was driving with five young girls.
“Two of them went home. After an argument he had with the girls, the bottle of gin he was carrying fell and broke.
“One of the girls took a bottleneck and stabbed him in the back of the neck. They also stabbed him in the stomach and threw stones at him, leaving him lying there,” explained Thembakazi.
She described Zolani as an extrovert.
“I’ll miss his laughter and his jokes. He was a people’s person but disciplined at the same time. He was an uniter in the family,” she said.
Thembakazi stated that Zolani would be buried at Indwe in Eastern Cape on Saturday 25 February.
Siyahluma Rasmeni, Toyana’s friend, said he could not believe that Zolani was no more. “We became friends in 2006. At that time, we were both studying at Vuselela Primary School in Site C.
“Earlier in the day, we were together at my mothers’ house cutting each other’s hair. We agreed that we would meet again later that evening and have fun with our friends.
“I tried to phone him that evening, but his phone was off. My last phone call was just after 23:00,” said Rasmeni.
He said he heard about the bad news at midday on Monday 13 February, from his mother as he was sleeping the whole morning.
When he heard the news of Zolani’s death, Rasmeni said he was confused.
“I couldn’t believe it. It was like I was dreaming. Even now, I don’t believe that he is no more,” he stated.
Provincial National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said a 17-year-old female, who was arrested in connection with the murder of Toyana, was granted R1 000 bail at Khayelitsha Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 21 February.
He said the suspect would appear again on Wednesday 19 April and the case is still under investigation.
