APHIWE MTHEMBU
Durban — A day meant to celebrate love turned deadly for a 22-year-old man from Shobashobane, on the South Coast, who was celebrating Valentine’s Day with his girlfriend.
Sibusiso Nxumalo was with his 27-year-old girlfriend when her ex-boyfriend stormed into her house and stabbed Nxumalo in the neck.
The girlfriend, who asked not to be named because she feared for her life, said she was having a good time with Nxumalo before her ex-boyfriend showed up.
“He tried to fight with Sibusiso and took out his knife and stabbed him in the neck. I tried to hang onto his hand that was carrying the weapon. Then Sibusiso ran out bleeding from his neck. I followed him but he fell to the ground. I took the hat he was wearing and tried to stop the bleeding.”
She said her ex-boyfriend wanted to reunite, but she had moved on and was in a relationship with Nxumalo.
“I am scared; he wanted us to talk and fix our relationship before this incident happened. He also tried to stab me when I tried intervening between him and Sibusiso,” she said.
Nxumalo’s grandmother, Doris Nxumalo, said the family was finding it hard to accept his death.
“It would have been understandable if this person who killed my grandchild kicked or slapped him instead of killing. My grandson would have been able to run away. But he stabbed him in his neck. It’s very painful to think of his death and what he went through.
“I am going through the same pain that I felt when Sibusiso’s mother and uncle passed away. This is too much for me to handle,” said Nxumalo.
She said that on the day of the incident she had asked Sibusiso to go to the shop for her, but he told her that he had something important to do, like visit his girlfriend because it was Valentine’s Day, and he would go to the shop thereafter.
“His death is a loss to the community. He was very disciplined, unlike other children in his age group.
“I am a praying woman. As the Nxumalo family, we will not do anything about this matter but leave everything in God’s hands,” she said.
Muziwenkani Nyawose, the chief of the village, said this was not the first instance of men fighting over women.
“This has happened three times in my village, and we haven’t done anything to make sure that this doesn’t happen again. This problem must be addressed soon.
“I went to the scene when the girlfriend came to report the incident. She has no parental guidance; her parents passed away when she was young,” said Nyawose.
KZN provincial police spokesperson Constable Thenjiwe Ngcobo confirmed that police in Ezinqoleni were investigating a case of murder and that the suspect was still at large.
Sunday Tribune