Pretoria - A friend of the late Tshwane University of Technology student Ntokozo Xaba, who was killed allegedly by her Blue Bulls rugby player former boyfriend, has shed light on what transpired during the final hours of the 21-year-old.
The friend who asked not to be named because she was not authorised to speak by the family, said they had been drinking at their residence and later met the player, who she had broken up with.
Last year, Xaba had opened a case of assault against the man.
The friends left Xaba with the man after he asked to speak to her alone.
That was the last they saw of her; the following morning the friends found her with multiple stab wounds to the neck.
Xaba’s relationship with the rugby player lasted two years, ending after he became abusive toward her, the friend said. “We were hesitant to leave her with him, but she assured us she would be fine; so we left between 8pm and 9pm.
“When we tried calling her later, she didn’t answer her phone. We got worried and went to check up on her in her room.“ The friend said they knocked, but Xaba did not respond. “Then we saw blood on the door handle … We opened the door and there she was, lying in bed with her face covered in blood.”
They tried to revive her, but she was dead. “We rushed off to report the matter, and police arrived,” she said.
Xaba lived at Ekhaya Junction in Pretoria Gardens. The third-year student, studying for a diploma in integrated communications, came from Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal.
Police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Sello said they had arrested a man for the murder and that he was linked to the Blue Bulls Rugby Union.
He had represented Blue Bulls country districts in the 2022 season. “He has been taken in for questioning by the police; investigations continue.”
The Blue Bulls expressed condolences to Xaba’s family. The union’s president Willem Strauss said: “While we do not know all the details pertaining to the incident; we reiterate that we condemn all forms of gender-based violence in the strongest terms.”
The university’s SRC said: “We are shocked and deeply saddened by the passing of a third-year female student on February 2, 2023. The student, who resided at Ekhaya Junction, was enrolled for the National Diploma in Integrated Communication.”
The SRC called on the law to move swiftly to bring justice to her family and the student community.
The student leadership also joined the many who called for a probe into how the killer accessed the residence, as men were not allowed into women’s accommodation, and vice versa.
“The killing of women has gotten out of hand. Unless the law acts swiftly, men – or whoever does it – will think they can get away with it.”
The SA Union of Students said it was concerned about the high levels of gender-based violence in tertiary institutions. It said the scourge needed urgent attention.
“We have a crisis – a pandemic, in fact – in institutions of higher learning, where 10% of such cases come from; a high number from a population of less than 2 million,” it said. The source must be found, be it high alcohol consumption or other factors.
Her distraught family said all Xaba wanted was to be great. They described her as an outgoing person who cared for others.
A night vigil had been scheduled outside her residence yesterday.
Pretoria News