Africa-Press – Eswatini. Following the fatal stabbing of Temlandvo Shabangu by a male companion, different theories have emerged.
Temlandvo (20) was brutally stabbed by a young man on Saturday at Siphocosini Bus Station, while trying to board a kombi on her way back home at Nkwalini, Mbabane. Her stabbing has triggered discussions around gender-based violence (GBV), which the family has disputed as they believed it was a robbery.
Stabbed
As she tried to jump into the kombi, which was fully loaded, her assailant grabbed her out in full view of other passengers and immediately stabbed her, despite her crying for help.
Her mother, Thembeni Shabangu, said her daughter was not in a love relationship with the assailant. She stated that Temlandvo left with a neighbour’s child, who told her that there was a party at Siphocosini. Upon reaching Siphocosini, Thembeni said, her daughter reported that she was feeling sleepy and needed to get back home to bath. “Indeed my daughter left to catch a kombi back to Mbabane and the neighbour’s child followed behind and upon realising that the kombi was fully loaded, she dropped off.” Thembeni said her daughter remained in the kombi when the assailant, who was the neighbour’s friend, grabbed her.
She said upon grabbing her, the assailant asked what she thought she was doing as they told her where they were going. While this was happening, the neighbour was watching. Thembeni said her suspicions were that the assailant, the neighbour and friend had realised that Temlandvo had money and were targeting her. “My daughter was carrying E3 000 and I have no clue where she had gotten it.” She said her daughter was targeted from a funeral she attended at a neighbour’s place, where she represented her since she could not attend. Thembeni said after the funeral on Saturday morning, Temlandvo was approached by a neighbour’s child to accompany her to the party at Siphocosini. According to Thembeni, the neighbour’s child was with the assailant and two other girls.
Tragic
The mother stated that she was called by an unknown number to rush to Siphocosini, where her younger daughter was said to have been involved in a tragic accident. “In my mind, I was of the view that she was visiting a relative’s place at Siphocosini, when the unknown caller again called saying an elder person should rush to the scene, where Temlandvo was, as police could not assist.” According to Thembeni, this rang a bell that her daughter was no more. She said upon arrival, she saw a police van and Criminal Investigations Department (CID) officers at the scene. “There was a pool of blood, which had been covered with sand.”
For More News And Analysis About Eswatini Follow Africa-Press
