Belhar mother allegedly stabbed to death; boyfriend tried to set Mandalay home alight - IOL

Kumsa Papu, a 40-year-old Belhar mother of two, was allegedly stabbed to death in Mandalay.

A Belhar mother of two was allegedly stabbed multiple times by her boyfriend, who then tried to set their home alight during an argument, according to her family.

The family of 40-year-old Kumsa Papu is devastated after she was killed at a house in Mandalay, Mitchells Plain, in the early hours of Sunday morning.

“For the past few weeks, we have been seeing in the news how women are being killed. Never did we expect that our own daughter and mother’s life would be taken in this brutal way,” Papu’s aunt, Nondumiso Papu, said on Monday.

Western Cape police confirmed that the incident occurred in Wild Plum Street at around 1.30am on Sunday.

Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg said: “Police members were called to the crime scene where they found the victim with multiple stab wounds to her body. The victim was declared deceased at the scene by medical personnel.”

“The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation. We can confirm that a 44-year-old male was arrested in connection with the murder and will appear in the Mitchells Plain Magistrate’s Court once he has been charged.”

It is understood that Papu, who was from Belhar, had visited her boyfriend in Mandalay on Saturday.

According to her aunt, the pair allegedly got into an argument.

“There were a few people at the house. We are told that when the two of them started arguing, he pulled her into a bedroom and locked the door.

“The other people who were chilling in the living room heard screaming and ran to inform the police,” the aunt said.

She said when police arrived, the boyfriend still refused to open the bedroom door.

The aunt recalled:  “We were also told by the people who were with them in the house that he at one point tried to set a couch on fire. He [allegedly] told police that they would all die if they forced the door open,”

She said when police finally managed to gain access to the room, Papu was found with multiple stab wounds.

She was declared dead at the scene.

Police and forensic services at the scene in Wild Plum Street on Sunday morning.

Papu’s aunt said: “We are all heartbroken. Her mother is still in disbelief, and so are her two children.

“Kumsa was a kind, caring and understanding woman. She had so much love and life in her. She did not deserve to die this way.”

Her aunt said the family is calling on the community to support them during this difficult time.

She added: “The violence against women in South Africa has gotten bad. We see it on the news every day, but never did we think that we as a family would also be affected.

“We would appreciate it if anyone who can could come and support us at court tomorrow.”