On November 12, 2023, a man was arrested after allegedly stabbing his partner multiple times at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) in Cape Town, South Africa. The victim was a student at CPUT.
A video of the incident was widely circulated on social media. The video showed the man repeatedly stabbing the woman, who tried to stop him by lifting her hand up. The man then stood around as some male students tried to intervene.
The victim was taken to Tygerberg Hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery. She is in a stable condition.
The suspect is a student at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). He has been suspended from UWC pending the outcome of the case.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) has opened a case of attempted murder against the suspect. He is expected to appear in court soon.
The CPUT stabbing case has sparked outrage and calls for action against gender-based violence (GBV). The university has said that it is committed to tackling GBV and has a number of initiatives in place to support students who have been affected by violence.
The case is also being investigated by the Independent Complaints Directorate (ICD), which is a civilian oversight body that investigates complaints against the SAPS.
The ICD has said that it will be investigating the case to determine whether the SAPS responded appropriately to the incident.
The CPUT stabbing case is a reminder of the prevalence of GBV in South Africa. According to a 2020 study by the World Health Organization, 63% of South African women have experienced some form of physical or sexual violence in their lifetime.
The South African government has made commitments to tackling GBV, but the country still has a long way to go to address this issue.
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