Yonela Sodam had her whole life ahead of her when she was brutally beaten to death, allegedly by her boyfriend who has since appeared in court for her murder.
It has since been revealed that she suffered a broken arm last year after the accuser allegedly beat her with a hammer.
Like the families of so many other victims, Aphiwe Sodam has been left with unanswered questions about her sister’s senseless killing. First and foremost the question “why?”.
“When I was in court I couldn’t look at him because I was so angry and so sad at the same time. Why did he have to kill my sister like a dog?”
Sodam’s body was discovered after her boyfriend of the past five years, Lonwabo Mtyibilizi, asked her mother to call the ambulance as she wasn’t waking up.
“He told my mother he had hit her with a beer bottle but when the forensics people picked up her body they discovered a hammer,” said Aphiwe.
Luckily the couple’s 4-year old daughter Anila wasn’t at home as she was spending the night with her granny. Aphiwe said the family initially supported the relationship but later tried to convince her sister to leave Mtyibilizi when they became aware he allegedly abused Sodam.
Baxolo Jini, another relative, confirmed this. “This was the second or third time we know of,” he said. “Last year he broke Yonela’s arm when he hit her with a hammer.
“We told her to leave him, but Yonela always had hope that they could sort things out. I didn’t want their child to go through the same things I experienced as a child when my father beat my mother. She eventually decided to leave him and I am lucky my school helped me to see psychiatrists and get help.”
The reason for her sister’s deadly assault, said Aphiwe, is unclear.
“I didn’t expect this from him. He is very quiet and doesn’t talk much. Yonela was a bubbly person and laughed and joked with everyone. Maybe he was jealous.”
Warrant Officer Freddie Booysen, spokesperson for Stanford police, confirmed police officials had arrested the victim’s boyfriend at the scene.
“The suspect and the deceased reportedly had gone out earlier and on their way back home they had an argument,” he related. “The incident occurred during load shedding and nobody witnessed the assault.”
ANC councillor Connie Tafu-Nwonkwo and members of the community supported Yonela’s relatives and friends when Mtyibilizi first appeared on a charge of murder in the Hermanus Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 4 May.
Last week Thembile Klaas, EFF MP, appealed to women gathered in front of the court to break the silence on gender-based violence (GBV) and to leave toxic and abusive relationships before they too ended up dead.
“We are here today to demand that the courts should never grant bail to the perpetrators of these crimes,” he added.
Wendy Vanqa, the EFF Overberg Regional Deputy Secretary and their anti-GBV co-ordinator, reiterated this and said it would be very hurtful for the victim’s family to see the suspect walking free in the community.
Vanqa appealed to women and their loved ones to report abuse. She said: “If you don’t have confidence in the police, you can contact me on 078 425 4425 or 061 467 4608.”
EFF Overberg Regional Secretary Emihle Honxo confirmed they had submitted a petition demanding that Mtyibilizi’s bail application be denied.
Residents of Stanford also started an online petition.
By Friday the online petition had approximately 100 signatures.
Siphiwo Beyi, deputy chairperson of the EFF in the Overberg, expressed his anger at the accused’s apparent lack of remorse shown in court.
“He stood there smiling and greeting everyone. I became very angry because this is a very serious matter and he didn’t show any remorse.”
The group indicated that they would once again be at court on 17 May to ask that Mtyibilizi’s bail application be denied.
