CAPE TOWN – A pregnant Zimbabwean woman was forced to deliver her child next to her dying husband after he was brutally stabbed to death by thugs in the Joe Slovo informal settlement in Cape Town. The horrific incident occurred as the couple waited for an Uber to take the expectant mother to hospital.
Talent, 34, whose surname has been withheld, had called for a ride-sharing service to transport his partner, Lillian Gono, 33, to Dunoon Hospital early Thursday morning as she went into early labour. Little did they know that their moment of anticipation would soon turn into unspeakable tragedy.
According to reports, as the Uber arrived, Talent went outside to place their hospital bag in the vehicle. As he returned to assist his wife, a gang of approximately eight men ambushed him.
Toni Tresadern, a family friend, shared the harrowing details on Facebook, stating that the assailants beat Talent mercilessly before stabbing him repeatedly in the head, stomach, and chest. The thugs then fled the scene with his mobile phone and the couple’s hospital bag.
Distraught and wracked with labour pains, Lillian Gono managed to make her way down the stairs, only to find her husband lying in a pool of blood. The shock of witnessing her husband’s blood-soaked body caused her waters to break, triggering the imminent birth of their child.
In a cruel twist of fate, Lillian gave birth to a baby girl right next to her dying husband. “Talent passed away a few seconds after she was born,” Tresadern recounted. The newborn baby has been named Talent, in honour of her late father.
Tresadern, who runs a children’s charity, described the incident as “utterly appalling.” She added, “They beat him to the ground with a blunt instrument then repeatedly stabbed him and as he lay dying his wife gave birth lying on the floor beside him. Talent passed away a few seconds after she was born.”
She further stated that the thugs “walked off and were looking back laughing. They had taken a life for an old phone and the baby bag that was to go with Lilian to hospital. She lay alone in the road with her new-born baby beside her dead husband as everyone was too scared to come out until the ambulance arrived.”
Local residents in the Joe Slovo township were reportedly too afraid to venture out of their homes to assist Lillian, leaving her to cuddle her newborn baby alone beside her deceased husband.
The couple, originally from Zimbabwe, had been saving for three years and were planning to return to their homeland in April to start a new life. Talent, a welder by trade, had secured enough funds to open a hardware store and welding business.
UK wildlife artist Carol Cook, who knew the couple, had even sold a painting to support them, using the proceeds to purchase equipment for Talent’s future welding business.
Now, Lillian is left to raise their two daughters – Mia, 5, and the newborn Talent – alone.
Jeannie Ross, Lillian’s former employer and friend, has launched a BackaBuddy campaign to raise funds for the family’s support and for Talent’s funeral. Ross, who hired Lillian as a domestic worker five years ago, described her as “an anchor” in the family’s life.
“I got a voice message from Lilian screaming and sobbing in shock and confusion saying she had gone down to the Uber with Talent,” Ross said. “A group of thugs attacked him in the dark beating him mercilessly and stabbed him in the head, stomach and chest leaving him in a pool of blood.”
“Lilian tried to help but was overtaken by searing pain as her waters broke and lying there beside her dying husband she gave birth to their baby girl. Their babies first cry filled the night just as he took his last breath. Lilian now faces an unimaginable road ahead raising two children without the man who was their anchor so I am trying to raise funds to help.”
The BackaBuddy campaign aims to raise R35,000 to assist Lillian in returning to Zimbabwe and burying her husband. As of the time of reporting, R34,770 had already been donated. The fundraiser to help Lilian and her two young daughters can be found here.
South African Police spokesman Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi confirmed the incident, stating that officers arrived at a medical clinic to find the victim’s murdered body.
“The deceased had been declared dead from stab wounds at the scene by medical personnel and the unknown suspects fled and are being hunted,” Swartbooi said. “The motive for this attack is robbery and it is being treated as murder.”
The tragic death of Talent and the circumstances surrounding his murder have highlighted the high crime rates and dangers faced by residents in the Joe Slovo informal settlement and other similar areas in South Africa. The incident has also sparked outrage and calls for increased police presence and improved security measures to protect vulnerable communities.
The Zimbabwean community in South Africa has expressed its condolences to Lillian Gono and her family, offering support and assistance during this difficult time. Many have condemned the senseless violence that claimed Talent’s life and have called for justice to be served.
The incident serves as a stark reminder of the challenges faced by many Zimbabweans living and working in South Africa, who often face discrimination, xenophobia, and high levels of crime. The Zimbabwean government has been urged to work with South African authorities to ensure the safety and protection of its citizens living in the country.
As Lillian Gono mourns the loss of her husband and prepares to raise her two daughters alone, the community has rallied around her, providing emotional and financial support. The BackaBuddy campaign continues to receive donations, offering a glimmer of hope in the face of unimaginable tragedy.
The investigation into Talent’s murder is ongoing, and South African police are appealing to anyone with information to come forward and assist in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
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