WOMAN STABBED TO DEATH FOR BEERS IN IVORY PARK

An Ivory Park woman has become the latest statistic in the raging gender-based violence (GBV) war after allegedly being stabbed to death over the weekend by a man she knew following an argument over money and alcohol.

Smangele Ndlovu, 28, died in a pool of blood at the hands of her alleged killer, Nyiko Elvis Dhlamini, in full view of other people on Saturday.

Gauteng police spokesperson Captain Kay Makhubele confirmed to The Star on Wednesday that a case of murder was opened at Ivory Park police station. Makhubele added that no arrests have been made as yet.

Ndlovu’s brother Vincent, 40, said that on the day of the incident there was a funeral near the family’s home and mourners were drinking afterwards.

“My sister took out R100 and gave it to one of her friends to buy five Castle Lites. This friend asked the other guy (Dhlamini) to accompany him and they went and brought three Castle Lites and two Castle Lagers,” he said.

He added when the men returned, his sister asked them why they did not buy what she had requested and the perpetrator allegedly took two of the bottles and drank them.

“An argument started between them and the girlfriend of the man who killed my sister, who started to insult the man she asked to buy the beers. My sister intervened to defend him and a physical altercation ensued,” he said.

Vincent said community members had to break up the fight.

“People said he (Dhlamini) just left normally and when he came back he had a knife. He walked up to my sister, stabbed her in the chest and then ran away while she was bleeding. She was dizzy because she was bleeding so much and her friends tried to help her,” an emotional Vincent said.

SA National Civic Organisation (Sanco) secretary for Ward 133 and family friend Paulina Phago said that after the stabbing, community members ran to her house to tell her what happened.

“When I arrived, Smangele’s mother was already there, and we live close to the fire station so we decided to take her there while we waited for the ambulance to arrive,” she said.

Phago said on arrival at the fire station, the firefighters prepared to transfer Smangele into their vehicle. However, when her pulse was checked, they realised she had died from blood loss.

Vincent said he came home after work and he was told that Smangele had been stabbed. However, by the time he arrived at the fire station, his sister had died.

“Now my sister is dead, this guy has disappeared and he didn’t even show any remorse and he doesn’t care,” he said.

Smangele’s brother added that when someone died from gender-based violence, he felt the pain but it did not compare to the pain of losing his sister and friend.

“This is a big loss to the family and she and we were very close. She was like a friend to me, and we shared everything, and with every problem at home she would pick up the phone and tell me, so this is a very big loss,” he said.

Phago said that she knew Smangele from when she was a child and that her death was painful.

“She grew up around here and we helped raise her. She wasn’t a troublemaker, she loved enjoying life and she loved her family,” she said.

Phago added that following the incident, angry residents raided Dhlamini’s home, burnt his belongings and handed his ID over to the police.

Ndlovu will be laid to rest at the Midrand Cemetery on Saturday.

Story by Chulumanco Mahamba for The Star