A memorial service was held for the late Lungile Makgabutlane (25) from Tsakane who was brutally killed by a 22-year-old female. It is alleged that her death resulted from an altercation she had with one of the lovers of her boyfriend.
Her lifeless body was found with multiple stabbed wounds on the neck and upper body and the suspect has been arrested and she is expected to appear at the Tsakane Regional Court on Monday (25 October 2021). The residents of Tsakane have pronounced that they will be marching to the court on the 25th of October concerning the case.
The young woman’s memorial service was held at the Tsakane Community Hall and her candlelight service was held at her homestead in Tsakane. The memorial service was attended by her loving family members, friends and supportive members of Kwatsaduza. Tsakane’s ward 85 councillor, Sipho Sibiya and Mncedisi Somyo, a Community policing forum chairperson also attended the service. The deceased’s friends expressed how much of a peaceful soul she was. “Lungile didn’t deserve to die like that. She was not a person who liked fighting. She was loving, respectful and calm. She was an outgoing person who was conflict-free and the manner in which she died is shocking. I last spoke to her on Wednesday and I saw RIP posts about her death on Friday I was numb. May she rest easy but I would also like my friend to avenge herself against the person who did this to her,” added Lindiwe, the deceased’s friend. Councillor Sipho Sibiya also expressed his support to the family, “This is unacceptable. The law enforcement must not sleep. They must find out what exactly happened to Lungile. Friends, family and the community at large came because of what has transpired so we need answers. Condolences to the family especially but we are definitely going to find closure on this case.”
The candlelight service was attended by organisations such as One Strong Voice, Lifeline counselling services, WOKE, Women’s Brigade and Men’s forum. The Lifeline organisation urged people to seek help if they are dealing with anger as Lungile’s death is a wake-up call for people to deal with their emotions rather than resorting to violence. Other organisations promised to stick by the Makgabutlane family in this time of need and asked the community to assist them in ensuring that Lungile’s family gets justice by guaranteeing that the killer stays behind bars.
“We are grateful for the support that each one of you is showing to us. You have been there since the day we received this tragic news. You as our community have made us stronger as a family and we appreciate your support. We urge people to stop spreading rumours about our loved one’s death. This is a devastating time for our family and we plead with people to understand that we are mourning and coming to terms with the callous way she was killed,” concluded Lerato Makgabutlane, Lungile’s uncle and the family’s spokesperson.
By Palesa Ndinisa
