The man whose Hlalani home was destroyed on Sunday after neighbours accused him of murdering his girlfriend fears for his life and prays the police will find her killer soon.
China Qwela, 57, was released from police custody on Monday without appearing in court because there wasn't enough evidence to link him to the crime.
The man whose Hlalani home was destroyed on Sunday after neighbours accused him of murdering his girlfriend fears for his life and prays the police will find her killer soon.
China Qwela, 57, was released from police custody on Monday without appearing in court because there wasn't enough evidence to link him to the crime.
Grocott's Mail reported on Tuesday that enraged Hlalani residents attacked Qwela's shack with spades, pangas and pitchforks after police arrested him on Sunday morning. His girlfriend, Daniswa Nombola, 42, had been found dead in her shack earlier. She had a stab wound in her stomach and her throat had been slit. Residents claimed he'd woken them in the early hours to tell them he'd found her dead.
The police arrested Qwela, as a suspect, and ward councillor Malibongwe Khubalo had to be called in to try and calm residents as they threatened to burn down his shack.
Yesterday Qwela, still visibly shaken, told Grocott's Mail of his family's heartache and terror.
He said Nombola had been everything to him
“She supported us as a family, as I am unemployed, Qwela said. She also supported her 15-year-old stepdaughter because she was the only one who was working. Why would I kill someone who supported me?”
He said he wished the police would find the real killer quickly.
Qwela, who has three children from his previous marriage, says he's afraid to set foot in Hlalani again because he doesn't know what the residents would do to him.
“I'm always scared, and wherever I go I make sure that there is someone with me,” he said.
He does not have a place to stay, and is sharing cramped quarters with a family in town.
“There are 12 people living in the three-bedroom house, including the grandchildren,” he explained.
His niece, Ncedeka Fikizolo, said the family was deeply affected by what has happened.
“He is not a violent person. When he was still married to his late wife, he never touched or raised a weapon to her. Why would he kill his girlfriend who supported him?” she asked.
She said her uncle had never previously been arrested.
“He is a kind of person who drinks, but not a violent person. What would happen if the real killer is apprehended?” asked Fikizolo.
Qwela's son, Lucas, said what worries him most is that his father no longer has a home.
“My father is still looking for a place to stay,” he said.
