A man was arrested after he had allegedly stabbed his girlfriend on Sunday evening (9 October). He then allegedly burned her house down while she was admitted to hospital.
The sister of the seriously injured victim and mother of three, Meriam Mphaphuli (37) from Bunzhe, outside Thohoyandou, Ms Mavis Netshitenzhe, told the media that she had received a call from her sister at around midnight. "When I got there, I found my sister and her boyfriend in the road. My sister was bleeding and, without explaining what had happened, the boyfriend told me he was going to get transport. He left, but after a while I realised he was not coming back, so I got transport and took my sister to the hospital. It was only after she regained consciousness that she told me what had happened. She said her boyfriend arrived at her house late that night and knocked at the door. She opened the door for him, and when she turned around, he stabbed her in the back," she said.
As if this cold-blooded attack was not enough, the suspect snuck back to the house while Mphaphuli was being treated at the hospital and burnt her two-room shack to the ground.
According to Mavis, a case of attempted murder was opened and, on Wednesday (12 October), residents caught up with the boyfriend, made a citizen's arrest and handed him over to the police.
"This is very painful to the family. The house has been razed to the ground and nothing was saved. All of their clothes, documents, and the kids' schoolbooks and uniforms got lost in the fire. My sister was left with only the skirt she was wearing that night. She has no idea what will happen when she is discharged from hospital," she said.
"This guy is heartless. He stabs my sister and pretends to look for transport and disappears. He just wanted to ruin her life completely. He should pay for his sins," Mavis said.
At the time of our going to press, Mphaphuli was still hospitalised and recovering from serious stab wounds. Efforts to get an update on the case from the police drew a blank.