A 26-year-old student from Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery after being stabbed by her husband at a private student residence in Belhar, Cape Town, on Saturday morning.
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Video footage of the incident was shared widely on social media over the weekend, showing a male student holding a female student on the ground and stabbing her in the stomach as she lays next to a pool of blood.
The attacker can be seen stopping to stand and look down at her on the floor.
In another circulating video, students can be seen subsequently attacking the male student, with some shouting: ‘ That’s enough, you’ll kill him.’
Police spokesperson Captain Frederick van Wyk confirmed that the perpetrator, a 30-year-old student at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), has been arrested and is currently under police guard in hospital.
Police are investigating a case of attempted murder and the suspect is expected to appear in court next week.
According to UWC, the suspect was the victim’s spouse.
‘The female CPUT student sustained serious injuries and has been transferred to Tygerberg Hospital for emergency surgery,’ said CPUT spokesperson Lauren Kansley.
‘She is being supported by CPUT management, and at this stage, our focus is on her recovery and wellbeing and notifying her family,’ added Kansley.
UWC spokesperson Gasant Abarder told News24 that the incident came at a time when the university pronounced zero tolerance for gender-based violence and condemned any act of gender-based violence and femicide.
‘The University will liaise with the SAPS and will take immediate action against its students as soon as it receives the relevant details of the incident from both the police and its own investigation team,’ added Abarder.
‘We confirm our stance that perpetrators of such gender-based violence have no place at our campuses.’
Kansley said that therapy has been offered to fellow CPUT students who may have been traumatised, including face-to-face counselling next week.
Commenting on the incident, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Western Cape said gender-based violence remains a worrying issue in the country and called for immediate action and decisive action against the perpetrator.
The party also called for heightened security measures on campuses and residences/student accommodation spaces, counselling services and educational programs that address the root causes of GBV.
‘The DA will conduct an oversight visit to CPUT on Tuesday, 14 November, with university management to find solutions on the way forward,’ the party said in a statement.
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Picture: Kindel Media / Pexels