Gamalakhe teen stabbed to death

The death of 19-year-old Simbongile Shinga of Ward 28 in Gamalakhe has sent shockwaves throughout the township.
The teenager was allegedly stabbed by another man in Gamalakhe on April 9.

Port Shepstone police spokesperson, Captain Petros Mpinge said Gamalakhe SAPS was notified by the local Care Centre of a 19-year-old man who had died on arrival, after he sustained a stab wound to the chest.

“A murder case docket was opened for investigation at the Gamalakhe police station. A 20-year-old suspect was arrested and appeared in the Port Shepstone Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday,” said Mpinge.

Meanwhile, the deceased’s brother Sphelele Shinga told Fever that as the family they were told that Simbongile died while asking for his money from the suspect.

“We heard that there was not much of an altercation, the guy just told him that he will stab him and he drew his knife and stabbed him. We are really not okay, especially as his older brothers, we have been hit hard by this and we are far from recovering,” said Shinga.

He described his little brother as someone who laughed day in and out.

“He loved laughing, dancing and girls; he really loved girls. He loved his mother, sisters, he was always chilling with his friends. He was such a cool guy. What we will mostly miss about him, is that he was always the voice of reason, when two people were not on good terms, he made sure that they sorted out their differences and made peace. He played a huge role in the lives of those he lived with,” he said.

He added: “We heard that police arrested a suspect, he appeared in court and that the case was remanded to April 24, if I am not mistaken,” he said.

Speaking to Fever, Ward 28 councillor Bekithemba Zulu said the sad thing about this teenager’s death is the family of the deceased will never look at the family of the suspect the same way again, thus causing tension in the community.

Zulu said they are thinking of organising community meetings that will be attended by residents of all ages and other relevant stakeholders to find ways to curb crime in Gamalakhe.

“Our deepest condolences go to the boy’s family, we really feel for them. What is worrying about these incidents is that young people are dying. The increasing number of people dying through violent crimes in the township is alarming which is why we need to come together as the community to find ways to combat these crimes. Children are doing as they please because they can see we are not united and firm in the things we are against. But if they see that we are united, doing something and educating them about the dangers of such crimes, the number of these violent crimes would decrease,” he said.

HAVE YOUR SAY

Like the South Coast Fever’s Facebook page