The family and friends of 19-year-old Lusanda Mathabela are demanding justice after she was allegedly stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend and his friend in Mpumalanga. The suspects were arrested and remanded in custody following the incident. Mathabela's funeral took place amid calls for the perpetrators to receive no bail.
On Monday, 19-year-old Lusanda Mathabela was allegedly stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend and his friend in her home in Mattafin, Mpumalanga. The brutal attack has left her family in mourning and calling for swift justice.
The suspects were arrested shortly after the incident and appeared in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, where they were remanded in custody. No further details on the court proceedings were immediately available.
Mathabela’s funeral service was held in Kanyamazane, and she was laid to rest in Rocky’s Drift. Her uncle, Ali Sibiya, expressed the family's anguish during the proceedings. “We pray the justice system will help us big time and make sure that these guys they don’t see light ever again because what they did is unimaginable. It is so out of this world, it’s unfair. They stole this child’s life; she was very young. We were not ready for this we still hoped for a future for her,” Sibiya said.
The family emphasized their desire for the suspects to be denied bail, highlighting the senseless loss of a young life. This case underscores ongoing concerns about gender-based violence in South Africa, though specific background on Mathabela's relationship or prior incidents remains undisclosed in available reports.