Married UWC student charged for ‘trying to kill’ his wife, has a pending rape case
|Published
Cape Town - The University of Western Cape student, alleged to have stabbed his wife, now also faces a charge of rape.
This emerged during his first court appearance on Monday following the brutal attack on Saturday which captured on video went viral on social media.
Ntembeko Myalo was arrested on Saturday after students grabbed him minutes after he allegedly attacked his wife, Sinoxolo Myalo, a Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) student, at the South Point residence in Belhar.
She was saved by male students who first struggled to take the two knives away from the accused. He was reportedly assaulted and taken to hospital where he was charged.
Myalo appeared in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court where a number of students filled the public gallery.
He entered the courtroom with stitches on his head and bruises on his face. The State is opposing bail. It said the accused had no previous convictions but had a pending rape case against him which was postponed to December 4.
Myalo said through his legal aid lawyer that he wanted to apply for bail in the attempted murder case.
Sinoxolo’s colleague, Kabelo Ramapholo, said: “We work with her in the Peer Helper programme. We were shocked that this happened to her, especially as she is a leader of the student residence. We only knew about the violence in her relationship after this incident.”
He said the victim might have been unaware that Myalo was in the South Point residence.
“We found out that he was signed in by his friends. We assume they didn’t know he was armed with two knives. This is very traumatising, Sino works with students who need counselling and then this happens to her.”
CPUT spokesperson Lauren Kansley commended the young men who came to Sinoxolo’s rescue.
“It is testament that the many gender-based violence interventions that the university rolls out work, and that CPUT men will not stand for these types of attacks on our fellow sisters.
“CPUT is the first university in South Africa to internalise and institutionalise the fight against GBV via its dedicated Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Committee. This committee is chaired by the vice-chancellor himself and ensures accountability, co-ordination and leadership on this critical issue,” Kansley said.
“This is indeed a sad incident to have occurred to one of our own, especially as the nation prepares for the launch of the 16 Days of Activism campaign. Let us use this unfortunate case to remind ourselves of how we can play a positive part in ending the scourge of GBV.”