The grandmother stabbed to death around 06:00 in Cowen Ntuli Street yesterday has been identified by her son as Johanna Mlangeni.

Mlangeni’s ‘partner’ allegedly stabbed her in the chest while she was on her way to work.

According to her son Charles, the pair usually travelled to work together.

At this stage, a motive for the brutal slaying has not been released by the police.

Mlangeni worked as a domestic helper for a Gholfsig couple for 23 years.

The employer told Middelburg Observer that he could count on his hands the number of times Mlangeni had been absent over the 23 years she had been working for them.

Her takeaway lunch, bought by her employer on Wednesday, was still in their fridge waiting for her when he learnt of her murder.

Police recovered the knife allegedly used by the partner in the stabbing.

He was arrested and charged with murder shortly after the slaying.

Scores of residents said they saw the uncovered body while travelling to work, and dropping their kids at school.

According to residents, an ambulance only arrived on the scene at around 07:20, while the stabbing occurred around 06:00.

Both Mlangeni’s son and daughter, as well as her four-year-old grandchild, resided with the matriarch in Doornkop.

Her employer said that when he arrived at the police station after the stabbing, he tried to phone Mlangeni again, and her phone started ringing in front of both him and the detective, confirming that the deceased was Mlangeni.

Her son had also, meanwhile, positively identified his mother.

News spread quickly among gardeners and other domestic workers in Gholfsig, with the employer saying his neighbour had phoned him, informing him that the body may be that of Mlangeni, after the neighbour’s domestic worker recognised the body.

She was wearing clothes that had been given to her by her employers, for which she thanked them for only last week.

The suspect is yet to appear in court, and therefore cannot be identified.

Charles said that his mom and the partner had normal relationship problems, but that their squabbles had never turned violent before.