VEREENIGING – A dark cloud has befallen the Gaba family after their son, 39-year-old Themba Malusi Gaba, was brutally murdered allegedly by his girlfriend. It is alleged that the deceased sustained a stab wound from a sharp object during an altercation with the suspect on March 31. The incident happened at a residence the two shared in Springcol.

Speaking to Ster North, police spokesperson Sergeant Thembeka Maxambela confirmed the arrest of a 35-year-old woman for the murder. Maxambela said the police had launched a murder case docket, adding that investigations in the matter are ongoing.

“It is alleged that a domestic dispute occurred between a male and female partner who were residing together in an outside room along with their two-year-old child. During the altercation, the suspect allegedly stabbed the male victim in the chest. Emergency Services declared the male deceased on the scene.”

Maxambela said the suspect had made an appearance at the Vereeniging Magistrate’s Court.

Family spokesperson Stanley Gaba said the entire family is gutted by the incident. Gaba said the incident highlights the bias against men when it comes to matters of gender-based violence.

Gaba highlighted that his younger brother had been in an abusive relationship, but he was helpless and couldn’t take any steps as he believed that the law favours women.

“When are we going to start to honestly address Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in instances when women are the aggressors? There are so many men who are regularly abused. They are regularly disrespected verbally, emotionally, mentally, and physically.”

Gaba said that the community should be just as outraged at this incident as it is in instances where women are victims.

He hopes that Themba’s story will not go under the radar, just like many other cases that came before

“IPV is a very real issue that people like to sweep under the rug or not get involved in. It is even more covert and dismissed when the aggressor is female.”

The deceased was laid to rest over the weekend.