The family of Zintle Ngxokwana from Gugulethu are battling to come to grips with the death of the 25-year-old, allegedly at the hands of her boyfriend and father of her two children.
Heartbroken and traumatised, they spoke to Vukani at their home last Friday.
Bulelwa Ngxokwana recalled how a friend had called her on Sunday morning June 20, telling her to go to Delft where her daughter had been killed.
Shocked, she refused to go.
Instead, her sister and brother went to identify Zintle’s body.
She said patrollers had seen a man dragging something during the early hours of Sunday morning.
“They then approached him only to find out he was dragging her lifeless body. The patrollers then called the police. It was a friend that knows her and my family that gave us a call to say she was no more,” she explained.
Ms Ngxokwana said patrollers had reported that her daughter had suffered multiple stab wounds in the face and upper body.
She told Vukani she had last seen her daughter on the previous Sunday, when she was leaving for church.
Ms Ngxokwana said her daughter had dreamed of completing school and building a career. “Recently we saw a letter that she wrote on June 6 where she said a lot of things. Among those was her drive to go back to school. She also apologised to me for the wrongs she did to me. She also appealed to God for forgiveness,” said the heartbroken mother
She said her daughter and her boyfriend had started dating at the young age of 15. She said they loved each other but like any relationship they had conflicts – and she had always encouraged her daughter to leave if a relationship became abusive.
“It is very difficult to accept what has happened. We are shattered, very sad. She was still young. She was my first-born child and I was still expecting to see her grow, help her children grow but now I will have to be the one who helps her children.
“As a family, we are heartbroken. Since Covid19 I lost everything, work, my policies lapsed and now this. We will appreciate any help from the community and even the government,” she said, sobbing.
Police spokesman Captain FC van Wyk said Delft police were investigating the case after officers had attended to a complaint of an assault of a woman in Aberdare Road, N2 Gateway.
“A post mortem will be conducted to determine the cause of death,” he said. “A 25-year-old man was arrested and will soon appear in court. Circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.”