Cape Town - A woman was stabbed to death by her ex-cop husband who had just come out of jail after he shot her earlier this year.
Thabisa Tutwana, 28, beat death once before when her husband Mbulelo Nyengane, 36, shot her in the stomach in May this year.
The Daily Voice reported that Nyengane was first arrested shortly after faking a hijacking along the N2 on May 13, in which Tutwana was shot.
He was taken into custody as he made his way to Groote Schuur Hospital to see his injured wife.
Nyengane had been stationed at Mowbray Police Station while Tutwana had been a student constable at Mitchell’s Plain cop shop for a few years.
But their tumultuous relationship came to a brutal end on Saturday night when the couple attended a party in Eersterivier.
“It is alleged they got into an argument,” said police spokesman FC van Wyk.
“The couple went into the bedroom where she was stabbed three times.”
A source close to the couple said that a man at the party referred to Tutwana as “darling” which sent Nyengane into a jealous rage, leading to the attack.
Now Tutwana’s grieving dad blames the justice system for his daughter’s death.
“If he was still in jail our daughter would still be alive,” Maboy Tutwana said.
“He was released [from prison] just two weeks ago and then he came to kill Tutwana.
“We still need to find out how he was let go, and what the conditions were if he got bailed out. We want answers.”
Tutwana said he didn’t know that Tutwana and Nyengane were back together.
“I thought their relationship was over when he shot her in the stomach but I guess I was wrong,” he said.
“I was shocked on Sunday when the police came to tell me my daughter had been murdered.
“The detective told us that he ran away after he stabbed Tutwana.
“But he was later found dead, he hanged himself.”
Tutwana said that he is angry that Nyengane died before he could face the law.
“I would have wanted him to be arrested and be convicted for my daughter’s death but he got the easy way out by killing himself,” he said.
The Daily Voice can reveal Nyengane was released on October 16 after serving six months in prison when the case was provisionally withdrawn.
Nyengane’s older brother Themba Nyengane, 54, said that his brother came to live with him in Philippi when he was released.
“I took him in with his wife [Tutwana] and they stayed together here for two days. I thought to myself that they were back together again and in love,” said the grieving brother.
The last time he saw Nyengane and Tutwana alive was when they left for a braai in Eersterivier with friends.
He said police found his brother’s corpse at Tygerberg Hospital on Sunday.
“I don’t know what could have caused this. They both loved each other very much,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tutwana’s mom Greta Tutwana describes how her daughter’s body looked when she went to identify her at the morgue on Monday.
“We went to see her body and it looked really bad. She has stab wounds all over her body,” said the emotional mom.
“And her face… she didn’t look like my daughter. I’m heartbroken about what happened.
“I didn’t think he would stab her to death after shooting her in May.”
Tutwana says Tutwana’s children will remain in their care.
“They had been staying with us and they will continue doing so,” she said.
He also said that they are waiting for Nyengane’s family to visit them.
“In our culture if your child has done something wrong the family will be held accountable and they must come to at least apologise,” he explained.
“That will not be enough because all I would like to find out is why he killed my daughter.”
*This article was published in the Daily Voice