The Lady Frank: Death vs divorce

FOLLOWING the death of rap star Nkululeko ‘Flabba’ Habedi and the subsequent arrest of his girlfriend, Sandi Manqele for his murder, South Africans find themselves once again taking sides on yet another case where it appears as though the love has turned fatal.

While many have formed opinions on who is responsible for the murder of the various victims we’ve witnessed over the years, the motives remain unclear, leaving many to question why this appears to be becoming a trend.

It started in 2010 when British businessman Shrien Dewani was charged with murder after he was accused of orchestrating his wife, Anni Dewani’s, death during a honeymoon trip in Gugulethu.

Since then, Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius has been sentenced to and is currently serving a five year sentence for culpable homicide after he fired shots at his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in front of a closed door, claiming he thought she was an intruder, which resulted in her brutal death.

While some details surrounding what really happened the night of Steenkamp’s death remain ambiguous there are many who believe that it was premeditated on Oscar’s part, so much so that his conviction has been appealed by the National Prosecuting Authority who are hoping the second time will be a charm.

Since then, former Bafana Bafana and Orlando Pirates goalkeeper Senzo Meyiwa was killed in the home of his girlfriend, musician Kelly Khumalo, and various statements from those who were present when Meyiwa was killed have been taken.

Each statement appears to contradict Khumalo’s, which once again had South Africans playing judge and jury, accusing Khumalo of hiring hitmen to kill Meyiwa and helping stage a burglary to cover it up.

Which brings us to the latest incident, former Swatta Kamp rapper’s girlfriend, Sandi Manqele, has been accused of fatally stabbing him in the chest.

She claims she killed him in self-defence and has been granted bail of R10 000 on the grounds that the judge does not believe that she is a flight risk.

Although for some these recent cases may just be enough motivation to be stay single, it has to be considered that these are only four cases that have only given the impression of this becoming a widespread problem because of all the media coverage they’ve received and the public figures involved.

However the fact is, it’s happening and many have weighed in on why this is so.

The most common explanation seems to be that times have changed, being happily married is no longer a goal shared by all with many people opting to have ‘life partners’ instead.

The problem with that is that getting what you truly deserve should the relationship end can prove to be difficult, especially should the split not be on amicable terms.

Not every couple chooses to wed in community of property where their assets while be divided equally, indeed a pre-nuptial agreement has become a popular choice.

However the mere fact that proof of a relationship has been stated in black and white would make any claim you have to many assets more credible.

This is where the problem comes in, without a legally-binding document ‘partners’ would receive minimal help in court, but in some cases just walking away and counting your loses simply isn’t an option, or rather not an option they’d consider.

In cases of desperation or extreme greed, some may choose to either kill or have their ex-partners killed in hopes of receiving what they believe is rightfully theirs without the opposition they would have faced had their partner been alive.

As we await the trial of Sandi Manqele and the retrial of Oscar Pistorius, South Africans look set to find themselves glued to their television screens to follow the legal proceedings of more high-profile cases, there will surely not be a shortage of drama as the details of the respective cases emerge.