The lady who was found dead in Cowen Ntuli Street from stab wounds this morning was allegedly killed by her partner.

The man was detained shortly after the murder.

He cannot be identified until he has been formally charged and appeared in court.

According to a reliable source close to the investigation, the woman has not been formally identified, though her son has been notified of her death.

The woman lived in Doornkop and worked for a local couple, who confirmed that she had been employed as their domestic worker for the past 23 years.

“She was always punctual, arriving at work at 07:00 Mondays to Fridays,” her distraught employer told the Middelburg Observer.

He said she was part of their family and that they realised something was amiss when she had not arrived at work by 07:30 this morning.

The employer went to work and phoned the woman’s son to enquire whether his mother was perhaps sick.

The son then confirmed that she had left Doornkop for work.

The employer then went to the police station, where he was informed of the murder.

Between the conversation with her son and talking to the police, the employer was also called by his neighbour, who informed him that the neighbour’s domestic worker had told her that his domestic worker may have been hit by a car.

The neighbour’s employee walked past the scene on her way to work and recognised the victim lying face down in the road.

The employer told the Middelburg Observer that he and his wife followed a tradition of buying takeaways every Wednesday for themselves, their domestic worker, as well as their gardener.

“Her takeaway, which she was supposed to enjoy today, is still in our fridge,” the man said.

He added that the deceased was also dressed in winter clothes that his wife had given her.

“Just last week she told us how happy and warm she felt in her new clothes,” the man added.

“We laughed together, we cried together, she was part of our lives,” the employer says.

The victim was also the grandmother of a four-year-old grandchild who saw his granny last night.

“I cannot imagine having to explain to the little one that his grandmother is not coming home,” the man said ruefully.

Calls for immediate medical assistance came in shortly after 06:00 on local emergency WhatsApp groups this morning, saying that the woman had been stabbed.

She was, however, declared dead by paramedics on arrival.

The woman also has a daughter, the mother of her grandchild, whom she cared for.

She was a single mom most of her life, and the employer said he was unaware that the woman had a ‘partner’.

It is still unclear what transpired in the street between the two when the victim was stabbed.