Gender-based violence has once again reared its ugly head amid the national lockdown. A Mossel Bay family says it has been shattered following the death of its youngest daughter. The family says it wants justice for the young mother’s death.
The 25-year-old mother of three Naledi Phangindawo was hacked to death by her former lover last weekend.
In this video, Mossel Bay residents protests as the murder suspect appears in court:
The accused returned to court for a second day on Thursday and the case was postponed to next week.
A former model and beauty queen, Phangindawo, was once crowned Miss KwaNonqaba. Her family say she had a bubbly personality and she lived life to the fullest.
They also say she loved her three children and had big dreams for them.
The victim’s mother Nomelikhaya Phangindawo says: “She used to say ‘mom I am going to fly you overseas with dad’, we would laugh about that. She had big dreams. She would say ‘mom you see this house you live in I don’t like it, I am going to buy land and build you a palace.’ those were her dreams for us.”
After years of abuse, Phangindawo finally had the courage to end her relationship.
An Imbizo called by men in Mossel Bay is under way at KwaNonqaba following the brutal killing of Naledi Phangindawo over the weekend. The 25-year-old was hacked to death allegedly by her boyfriend. The key message is “men should be leaders, not bosses at home”#sabcnews pic.twitter.com/xS7P4VqnSq
— Sphiwe Hobasi (@MrCow_man) June 9, 2020
She found a new job and regained her independence.
“She told me that she wanted to break up with the guy and finally she really did and she also got a job in Knysna. So that was a good opportunity for her to leave Mossel Bay and be far away from that guy. She got a protection order for him so that she can distance herself from him,” says her friend, Nobuzwe Masala.
Naledi’s ex lured her to his home under false pretenses.
He allegedly attacked her with a knife and an axe before fleeing to Cape Town.
“We are devastated because when Naledi got a job she would make sure she provides for her family,” says Phangindawo’s mother.
The 34-year-old accused, Mlondolozi Ntangulela, is expected to apply for bail next week. But the community is adamant that they will protest against the scourge. They’ve already started dialogues around ending the scourge of gender-based violence.
Phangindawo will be buried next Tuesday. This as the country reels from the death of another young woman in Gauteng. Tshegofatso Pule was laid to rest on Thursday after being found stabbed and hanging from a tree in a veld in Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg, on Monday. She was eight months pregnant at the time of the tragedy.
