Sebenzani “Mbube” Sithole’s family in kwaHlabisa Township in Qubukani, northern KwaZulu-Natal, is left with questions after the 24-year-old man fatally shot himself.
The deceased’s brother, Mvuzeni Khanyile, says he was shocked when the mother of Sithole’s child called him in the middle of the night to inform him about the tragedy.
“When we got to Ximbakazi’s place – he had already passed on. We then called the police. We are shocked as we don’t know him as a person who had problems,” says Khanyile.
Sithole’s former girlfriend says it has been a while since they severed their relationship and she was not aware that he was in the area.
“I wasn’t shocked when he just appeared in the window of my bedroom because he was used to doing that,” she says.
“He first said I must shoot myself and I told him to be the one to do it. He then bumped both our heads and I went down. The next thing I saw the room changing colour to greenish. Then he just fell down,” Thando Sokhela adds. She says she had broken up with Sithole because she was tired of his abusive ways. – Report by Maputaland FM journalist, Nokubongwa Xaba.
The man who hacked his wife to death with a bush-knife in Thobothini, in the Jozini area of KwaZulu-Natal, returns to court on Tuesday.
He appeared briefly in the Ingwavuma Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
Themba Menyana attacked his wife, Thembi Nyawo (49), while at her neighbour’s house.
Philisiwe Nkomonde says the suspect hacked her first and proceeded to a man they were sitting with in the house, before killing his wife.
“I still do not know how to explain what happened to me. I am still in hospital fighting for my life with something I do not know,” says Nkomonde.
She says Menyana was upset that Nyawo had an affair of which she knew nothing about.
The husband had apparently found out about it after hacking the deceased’s phone.
“Now I am being blamed for something I don’t know. People think I knew that she had an affair. All I know is that Manyawo didn’t want her husband anymore because he was unfaithful and cheating on her. She stayed because of her children. Manyawo died for her children. She would have been out of the marriage for a long time, but for the sake of the children, she stayed,” Nkomonde says.
While blasting social media for distorting facts on the story, Nkomonde also urged women not to stay in abusive relationships because of their children.
Police spokesperson Captain Titus Nsibande says Menyana is the one who notified the police about the tragedy.
A 19-year-old woman was killed on Tuesday evening in Shongoane 2, Limpopo, allegedly by her boyfriend.
According to the police, the boyfriend reportedly approached the deceased soon after he returned from Burgersfort and confronted her about her pregnancy.
He later left with the deceased and her 18-month-old child.
Later that evening, the suspected confessed to have killed the young mother when he was asked about her whereabouts.
He, however, did not say where he left her body.
A search began on Wednesday morning where the hysterical cries of the baby caught the attention of the search party. The child was found next to the deceased’s body in an open yard in Marikana Village in Shongoane 2.
The 32-year-old suspect has been arrested and is due in court soon.
In 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared GBV as a second pandemic as it rages on amid the fight against COVID-19.
On Thursday, he launched a private sector-led, multi-sectoral GBV and Femicide Fund. It is aimed at supporting the implementation of the National Strategic Plan and wider GBVF response in the country. Report from Waterberg FM news
A 22-year-old man from Ntshawini near KwaDukuza, in KwaZulu-Natal, has been sentenced to life and one year in jail for raping and robbing an 83-year-old woman in 2018.
Siyabonga Mkhwanazi was known to the victim and was friends with her grandchildren.
He raped and assaulted the wheelchair-bound 83-year-old after he entered her home in the early hours of the morning.
After throwing her off her bed – he banged her head several times on the cement, raped her and then fled with her R27, which was in her bag.
She was rushed to hospital for the physical and gynaecological injuries sustained.
She also received counselling from the KwaDukuza Thuthuzeka Centre.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority in KwaZulu-Natal, in a victim statement submitted in court, the 83-year-old says no words can describe the trauma she suffered from the incident.
She says she had trusted her assailant and had considered him as her grandchild and he took advantage of her vulnerability.
Mkhwanazi has denied guilt.
The Director of Public Prosecutions in KwaZulu-Natal, Elaine Zungu, has welcomed the conviction and sentence against him.
Zungu says she hopes the sentence will serve as a lesson that gender-based violence will not be tolerated in the province.
“We urge communities, especially leaders, to assist in addressing GVB related issues through education sessions, dialogues and stakeholder engagements with the relevant government departments,” concludes Zungu.
The community of Protea Glen, in Soweto, will this evening hold a candlelight prayer service in honour of a 21-year-old woman who was brutally murdered.
The community is still reeling from shock following the grim discovery.
The murder occurred amid a nationwide 16 Days of Activism Campaign for No Violence Against Women and Children.
According to the police, Phuthi was beaten, raped and strangled to death with her pants.
She was identified by her tattoo of a tiger on her neck, a flower tattoo on her right leg and her name on her hand.
It is suspected that she was killed by people she knew.
Her family is calling for justice.
ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) Secretary in ward 135, Nelisiwe Yende, says the candlelight prayer session in Ramara’s honour will be held at 10217 Mount Cash Street Ext 12, Protea Glen at 6pm.
Ramara will be laid to rest on Sunday.
Police spokesperson, Vincent Mashiteng, says no arrests have yet been made in the matter. – Report by Jozi FM News Editor Moshe Maswanganyi
The community of Mhlabuyalingana in Bhekabantu, KwaZulu-Natal, has been urged to reach out for help if they have domestic problems.
Various speakers made the call at the funeral service of four members of the Khumalo family.
Three of them are victims of a domestic violence case, in which the perpetrator also took his own life.
Nkosingiphile Khumalo shot dead his Sbongeleni Ngubane-Khumalo and their three children on November 27.
Their daughter survived the incident and is in a critical condition at a Mpumalanga hospital.
The tragedy comes amid concerns over the high number of femicide in the country and a national campaign against gender-based violence.
The Mayor of KwaMhlabuyalingana Municipality, Nkululeko Mthethwa, was one of the speakers at the funeral.
He strongly encouraged the culture of speaking out when people are in trouble, because silence can lead to negative consequences and killings.
The Mayor of Umkhanyakude District Municipality, Solomon Mkhombo, agrees with Mthethwa, saying no one should die in silence.
Mkhombo encouraged various government structures to stand up and help communities to fight the scourge of violence.
A relative of the Khumalos, Philani Ngwenya, was first at the scene of the tragedy.
Ngwenya expressed shock at the incident, telling mourners that though he was close to the couple – he was not aware of any marital problems between them.
He urged the KwaMhlabuyalingana community to pray for the child who is fighting for her life in hospital.
A 17-year-old woman and her 32-year-old boyfriend will return to the Protea Magistrate Court on Wednesday for the death of the teenager’s daughter.
Baby Nyiko Mthimunye was raped and allegedly assaulted on 15 November in Diepkloof, Soweto.
Her mother had left the two-year old in the care of her boyfriend for about two hours at the time of the incident.
On her return after 8pm, she told the police that found the child sleeping. They boyfriend was not around; only his father was at the house. She said she also went to sleep, not wanting to disturb the child.
The teenager says she woke up in the middle of the night to check on baby Nyiko, only to notice that she had serious injuries to her face. She took the child to the nearby Baragwanath Hospital for treatment and it was found that she had been raped. The doctor called the police.
Baby Nyiko was admitted at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital last week & she was declared deceased on Thursday. Nyiko's grandmother Lindi Mthimunye says her granddaughter had fractured ribs & she was declared brain damaged according to a report issued by the doctor. MM
Baby Nyiko succumbed to her injuries three days later and was laid to rest on Tuesday.
Today they attended the funeral of their late 2year old friend…baby Nyiko…who was brutally raped to death by what should've been her step father!And they sincerly plead..they plead for mercy…God have mercy on them!@EFFSouthAfrica@Effgroundforcespic.twitter.com/uJXjTS2dLx
The mother and the boyfriend are charged with her murder. They first appeared in court last Wednesday and the case was shelved for today.
Police suspect that baby Nyiko may have suffered previous abuse at the hands of her stepfather and the matter was never reported. “This is the basis of the arrest of the teenage mother who in this instance, only reported the incident to the police two days later,” Police Gauteng Spokesperson, Brigadier Mathapelo Peters says.
Welcoming the duo’s arrest, Acting Provincial SAPS Commissioner, Major General Patricia Rampota, urged the investigating team to do a thorough job in order to ensure that justice is served for the two-year old Nyiko.
“The SAPS remains committed to upholding the rights of victims of gender based and domestic violence and femicide, and to prioritise the investigation of all cases where women, children and other vulnerable persons are victims,” she has said.
Let's support Baby Nyiko she was 2 yrs old she was raped, abused &She's no mor she died @ Bara @ high care we need support frm the community 😢😢💔💔 siyacela bahlali base Dk #justiceforbabyNyikopic.twitter.com/g4Azg5GhGu
Deputy President, David Mabuza, wants South Africans to join hands in the fight against gender-based violence and femicide.
Mabuza officially launched the five days of mourning for femicide victims and the remembrance of South Africans who have lost their lives due to COVID-19 at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, Gauteng, today.
“The whole nation must rise, and mobilise every street, every community, every church, and every family to join the fight against the murder, and violation of women and children by men. Many lives of women and children have been lost as a result of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide in our own communities,” he says.
As the country continues to grapple with the scourge – the Deputy President says COVID-19 has also caused unprecedented disruptions and anxieties that are significantly impacting the lives and livehoods of all South Africans.
“While we have made significant strides in containing the COVID-19 pandemic, we are saddened that, as a nation, we have lost many lives as a result of COVID-19. Many families have lost their relatives who have succumbed to COVID-19. We have lost frontline workers who died in the line duty, paying the ultimate sacrifice, while trying to save the lives of others from COVID-19,” he says.
More than 21 000 South Africans have succumbed to the illness, while 772 252 others are infected.
“COVID-19 continues to be part of our lives. We should continue to be vigilant, and ensure that we continue adhere to COVID-19 protocols. The reported rising number of infections remains a major cause for concern for all of us. We should continue to behave responsibly to save lives, and avoid any possible resurgence of COVID-19 infections that may result in further loss of lives.”
Mabuza has called on all South Africans to wear a black armband or any other sign that signifies mourning during the five days.
“During this period, the National Flag will be flown at half-mast throughout the country from 6am to 6pm,” he says.
Yesterday, Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, launched the Inter-Ministerial Committee on gender-based violence campaign in Pretoria.
Nkoana-Mashabane called on South Africans not to turn a blind eye when it comes to gender-based violence.
Also yesterday, Minister of Police Bheki Cele revealed that 8 000 rape cases were reported to the police in the second quarter of 2020.
Cele said the majority of women were raped in their homes or at the homes of perpetrators.
Wits University student, Wendy Manjeya, has called on the Police Minister to dig deeper in solving the crisis.
VOW FM listener, Palesa Mohlamme, says 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children hasn’t solved the gender issues that are crippling the country.
Women’s financial dependence on men is one of the factors cited as reasons for them to sometimes stay in abusive relationships. In a bid to solve this, government has reiterated its commitment to setting aside 40% of public procurement for women-owned businesses, under the theme women’s economic justice for a nonviolent and nonsexist South Africa.
However, gender activist Lebo Ramafoko doubts this will reach the women who need empowerment. Speaking on VOW FM’s Area Code, Ramafoko said it would be best if the government could also give details on who the benefactors of such deals would be. She’s concerned that the deals could be directed to women who are already empowered – further marginalising the poor.
