Man killed protecting landlady from lover

DAILY VOICE

The deceased's father Jonas May. Photo: Patrick Louw

Father’s Day celebrations turned fatal for a Cape Flats dad when he tried to break up a fight involving his lover.

Raymond Herman, 36, was in high spirits on Sunday and was enjoying the special day.

That was until his girlfriend of 10 years and mom of his six-year-old son, Raymond Jr, flew into a rage and allegedly tried to attack their landlady with a knife.

Raymond immediately tried to intervene to prevent the young mom from doing something she would regret.

He forced himself between his lover Christina Stoffels, 30, and landlady Simoney Malgas, 20.

Seconds later, Raymond lay dead in the doorway in front of his father.

And Christina was inconsolable, weeping on her bed with blood on her hands.

And that is where cops would find the young mom of two and arrest her for the murder of the man she loved.

Simoney, 20, says she was outside her house in Eleanor Street, Valhalla Park, when an angry Christina approached her armed with a knife.

“I was standing outside when she ran out shouting at me,” says Simoney.

She says Christina accused her of interfering with her friends.

“When I asked her what she was talking about, she held up the knife and threatened to stab me,” she says.

But Simoney says Raymond yelled at his girlfriend and tried to stop her.

“He told her to stop and asked why she wants to stab me,” she says.

“Toe draai sy om en sy sê ‘jy, jou p***! Ek sal (vir) jou ook steek’(Then she turned and said: ’You, I’ll stab you as well’).

“Then she (Christina) reached over and stabbed him (Raymond) but she quickly pulled her hand back.”

She says Christina immediately ran away when she realised Raymond was hurt.

“Christina was shocked herself. Then she ran inside and began crying,” explains Simoney.

“When she ran off, Raymond just looked at his (bloodied) T-shirt and ran to his mother’s house.”

Raymond’s father Jonas May, 56, says his son fell into their house when he opened the door for him shortly after 5pm on Sunday.

“I didn’t hear the commotion outside because the door was closed and I was watching TV,” he recalls.

“When I got up to open the door, he stumbled inside.

“Hy het net gesê ‘daddy’ en toe val hy (He just said ‘daddy’ and then he fell).

“I held my hand under his nose to check if he was breathing but about 10 minutes later there was nothing.”

Police spokesperson Captain Marie Louw says Raymond was declared dead at the scene.

“(Raymond) intervened and was stabbed once in the chest,” Louw says.

“(He) ran into (his parents’ house) where he collapsed and died.

Meanwhile, Christina who was in a state of shock, ran into her bedroom after realising what she had done.

“She asked if he was dead and she just kept on crying until the police came,” says Simoney.

Christina was arrested a short while later and is expected to appear in court on a murder charge.

*This article was published in the Daily Voice