PE man arrested for allegedly killing sister in argument

A 49-year-old man from Bloemendal near Bethelsdorp in Port Elizabeth was arrested soon after the murder of his 45-year-old sister on Sunday night.

According to police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu, it is alleged that at about 7.30pm, the woman and her brother were arguing in the lounge of their home in Basson Street in Bloemendal.

“The argument continued outside. Soon after, she entered the house and her husband, 43, saw her bleeding [from] her back. She then went and lay on the bed. She died prior to receiving any medical treatment,” Naidu said.

The deceased woman’s brother was arrested at the scene and detained on a charge of murder. The reason for the argument is not yet known. He is expected to appear in court soon, Naidu added.

Precious Robinson, chairperson of SACSoWACH, a coalition of 33 non-governmental organisations (NGOs), which is supporting the department of health with its coronavirus response, said on Monday: “The national government’s gender-based violence (GBV) and femicide command centre, which runs a toll-free, 24-7 emergency call centre, recorded that more than 120,000 victims rang the national helpline for abused women and children in the first three weeks after the lockdown started – double the usual volume of calls.”

Coalition patron and First Lady Dr Tshepo Motsepe said: “During the Covid-19 lockdown, our emergency and law enforcement services are overstretched, so more women will be harmed. GBV, in its many forms, deprives women of psychological well-being, self-sufficiency and feeling safe.

“As a society that already has high levels of gender-based violence and femicide, the safety risk for women is now even higher.”

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