THE FAMILY of a deceased woman from Shakashead, KwaDukuza, wants the police to find the father of her child and arrest him, following allegations that he killed her with poison.
Ms Noxolo Gumede (29) who was in hiding last weekend, died at the General Justice Gizenga Mpanza Regional Hospital, formerly known as Stanger Hospital, in the middle of last month.
The deceased’s grandmother, Mrs Thandeka Ngidi, said that the reason why they want justice and the arrest of the suspect is that he suddenly moved out of the apartment in the area after the funeral.
Narrating the incident, he said the events that led to the death of the deceased began in April, when they had an argument with the suspect until he beat him.
“After the argument, the deceased went to the police to open a case, and he went to the court to get a restraining order for the accused. The date of the case was April 21, and when they went there, he showed remorse and told the magistrate that he would change, asking the deceased to drop the case,” said Mrs. Ngidi.
He said that the deceased really dismissed the case, and the court warned that if he beats him again, he will come directly to the court and be arrested.
He stated that on April 25, the suspect called the deceased, begging him to visit him to show him how sorry he is.
“Of course he went there. If we hear that the suspect told him to sit down and rest, he will cook for himself,” said Mrs. Ngidi.
He said the deceased stayed at the suspect’s house until he returned on April 27, and that’s when he returned showing signs of illness, saying that he was suffering from a stomach ache, like a person suffering from a stomach ache.
“He went to work on April 28, but he came back early, revealing that he had fainted. At that time, he had diarrhea and vomiting,” said Mrs. Ngidi.
He said they took him to the clinic, and that’s where he got an excuse before he was brought back home, he said it was May 6, when he complained that he suspected the suspect had poisoned his food.
“He called him, asking him why he did such a painful thing to him, the suspect replied that he was untying him and teaching people, and then he hung up. I heard this answer because the deceased had put the phone on speaker,” he said.
He said they finally took him to the hospital on May 8, when it became apparent that his condition had worsened, his eyes had turned yellow, and he was talking strange things.
“He died on May 12. Before he died, the doctors had already told us that he would not survive. They said that when they examined him, they saw that he had taken poison that got inside and destroyed his liver and then spread to his brain, that’s why it seems like he is having a headache,” said Mrs. Ngidi.
He said that after the commotion of the funeral, they found out from the neighbors of the place where the suspect was renting that he had moved all his belongings and filed the papers.
He described their relationship as violent as the deceased was always beaten by the suspect with whom she has a four-year-old child.
He stated that what they know is that he is from Swat but they do not believe that he crossed the border as he was struggling financially due to unemployment.
He accused him of hypocrisy in court, apologizing saying that he regrets beating the deceased and has changed, which is not the case.
“We can see that he was not sorry that the deceased had tied him up. It is obvious that he was pretending to be a remorseful person, who has changed in order to bring him closer and then finished with him,” said Mrs Ngidi.
He said he wished that the police in Mhlali, where the incident was reported and a case was opened, investigate the matter, search for him until they find him and arrest him.
“I want him to explain why he hurt my grandson so badly? I want him to explain what kind of poison he fed him? Then tell me what I will say to the child as he has started asking me questions about where are the parents?” said Mrs. Ngidi.
The KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda, said that the KwaDukuza police opened the dock following the fact that a 29-year-old woman succumbed to poison.
“The investigation into the cause of his death is ongoing,” said Netshiunda.