KWAZULU-NATAL Premier Sihle Zikalala said the brutal murder of a member of his staff was one of the most gruesome acts of gender-based violence committed in the province recently.
Hlengiwe Madlala, 39, from Songozima village in Vulindlela outside Pietermaritzburg, worked as an administrator in the communications unit at the office of the premier.
Zikalala has called on the SAPS leadership to trace and apprehend the suspects who were involved in the murder of Madlala.
“From the reports we have received so far, Hlengiwe’s lifeless body was discovered outside her home in the early hours of Sunday morning.”
He said she had been stabbed several times and her clothes were next to her.
Madlala died a brutal and gruesome death at the hands of a callous perpetrator, he said.
“She would have celebrated her 40th birthday in August this year. Unfortunately, her life has been cut short by this brutality,” said Zikalala.
Zikalala, on behalf of his office and the provincial government, conveyed his deepest condolences to Madlala’s family, especially her children “whom she loved so dearly”.
“May the family be comforted in this hour of great pain, and may they find strength in the memories shared with Hlengiwe and use these to remember the good times spent with her. May her soul rest in peace,” he said.
Madlala’s husband, Vusimuzi Madlala, said the family were trying to cope with her death.
Madlala has three children, two daughters, aged 18 and 12, and a 7-year-old son.
“The children are slowly trying to cope with the loss of their mother because there is nothing they can do to bring her back, she is gone,” Vusimuzi said.
Zikalala said gender-based violence remains one of the worst “scars” in society, touching every community regardless of race, faith or economic status.
“GBV has now become the second pandemic after Covid-19 and remains a real threat to the building of a united, prosperous, non-sexist, non-racial and equal society,” he said.
“There is clearly more work to be done on protecting women in KwaZulu-Natal from violence through prevention, awareness, care and support to the victims. We must also strengthen the judiciary and support programmes which target women empowerment and provide closure for the survivors,“ said Zikalala.
Madlala’s funeral will be held on Thursday.
THE MERCURY