A 45-year-old man is expected to appear in court for allegedly killing his girlfriend.
The man is accused of killing 21-year-old Zinhle Mokoena, just hours after she was released on free bail by the Nebo magistrate's court on a charge of assaulting the man.
She had appeared in court on Friday.
Speaking to Sowetan, the man’s 61-year-old mother, who cannot be named as it would be indirectly identifying a suspect before he appears in court, was in tears on Sunday, saying she wanted nothing to do with her son.
“I don’t even want to see his face. My son has been in and out of prison from the time he was 18. I have attended so many court cases that I have lost count. This is the worst he has ever done,” the mother said.
She said the suspect started dating Zinhle three months ago, adding that she was always opposed to her son living with his girlfriend in her home because they were not married.
Traces of blood on the passage walls lay testament to the violent attack while piles of clothing could be seen on the unmade bed the couple once shared.
“There was always shouting and fighting in this house because of them. I told Zinhle that she must not come here anymore. Now look what has happened. My heart breaks for her family,” she said.
The mother said she was not home when the incident happened.
She said as she walked towards the kitchen door, she saw Zinhle lying on the floor.
Upon entering the house, she saw blood on the floor and walls and tried to look for her son, but he was not there.
She said her son was arrested after he was found hiding inside a pigpen at his grandmother’s home in the same area.
Speaking on Zinhle's arrest last week, Col Malesela Ledwaba said she had allegedly injured the man on the arm with a sharp object on Tuesday, resulting in him opening a case.
He said she was arrested on Thursday and appeared in court on Friday.
Ledwaba said Zinhle died instantly after the attack.
According to the couple’s families, their relationship, which started about three months ago when the man was released from prison, was characterised by violence and excessive drinking.
Zinhle’s aunt Betty Mokoena said the family was shattered, adding that Zinhle had gone to the boyfriend’s home to fetch her belongings and end the relationship.
Mokoena said the couple had fought earlier in the week when Zinhle discovered the boyfriend in bed with another woman.
When she confronted him, they started to argue and the altercation became physical.
Mokoena said they both sustained injuries from the fight and Zinhle went to the local clinic to get treatment.
“While she was at the clinic, he went to open a case against her,” she said.
She said her niece, who leaves behind two children, did not deserve to die despite her mistakes.
“What the boyfriend did is horrible. He took Zinhle’s life. There are many ways of disciplining a person, you don’t have to kill them. He slaughtered her like an animal,” Mokoena said.
mahopoz@sowetan.co.za
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