A 43-year-old woman was murdered in front of her 12-year-old son at Cornubia Flats in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday morning, according to Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA).
RUSA spokesperson Prem Balram said concerned neighbours contacted the private security company for assistance at approximately 06:19, after hearing a disturbance at the flat. Reaction officers arriving at the scene found the woman’s body outside her home, near the front door. Her 39-year-old boyfriend remained on the scene, heavily intoxicated, and was restrained by officers once they had established what had happened from the child, who was still at the property when they arrived.
According to Balram, the child told officers his stepfather had assaulted and strangled his mother during an argument at approximately 05:00. He was unable to say what had led to the altercation. During the assault, he fled to the flat next door, where his aunt lives, to get help. Officers who spoke to him noted blood on the suspect’s shirt and established that he had sustained a burst lip in an altercation with the victim before her death.
The child also told RUSA that this was not the first time he had witnessed the man assault his mother. He described a pattern of previous incidents, though it is not yet clear whether any of these were reported to police or whether a protection order was ever sought against the suspect.
“The suspect was arrested on charges of murder, and was handed over to SAPS in Verulam,” Balram said.
