A 26-year-old woman who is believed to have been beaten to death in the Khayelitsha area of Cape Town, in July, reportedly fled the township months before to escape her abusive boyfriend, her aunt said on Wednesday.
According to News 24, Aviwe Jam Jam’s body was identified by her family on Tuesday after it was found at the Vygieskraal Stadium, Athlone, on July 29, roughly 24km from her home.
Captain FC van Wyk told a correspondent that the post mortem still needed to be concluded.
It was gathered that the boyfriend was arrested last week in connection with “several other cases” and is being investigated in connection with her murder.
Marking Women’s Day on Wednesday, Minister of Police Fikile Mbalula visited the family at their home, and spent more than an hour talking to them in private.
The lady and her boyfriend
He later told journalists that police had been looking for the boyfriend in connection with other cases, and promised that the law would protect the family.
“We will never be ruled by criminals and criminals will not rule anybody. We will find them and we will bring them to book. Their days are numbered.
“These people are not enemies to each other, but the devil has come to this community and done the things that they have done to the Jam Jam family …terrorised them.”
Aviwe’s aunt, Nondumiso Zizi said her niece had told her mother that she had left for Pretoria and that she should not look for her because she was hiding from her boyfriend.
Zizi was unable to confirm when Aviwe left Khayelitsha. She said Aviwe and her boyfriend had been together for “several years” and have a 2-year-old child.
“Aviwe was in an abusive relationship with this boyfriend. Aviwe’s mother tried to warn Aviwe of this, but she wouldn’t listen. She loved [her] boyfriend, so there was nothing we could do about it.”
“Aviwe’s mother suspected that Aviwe won’t come [back] alive because the way the boyfriend was treating her.”
Speaking further, she said the boyfriend had come to their home looking for Aviwe and had attacked her stepfather because he thought the family was hiding Aviwe. Zizi added that the boyfriend and a group of friends attacked the stepfather with a panga and he had to get 12 stitches.
“He [the stepfather] was bleeding and the whole yard was full of blood because of them and the boyfriend climbed on top of him and said they should kill him.”
Nomthandazo Jam Jam with a photo of her daughter Aviwe, at her graduation.
The boyfriend was arrested shortly after for assaulting the stepfather, said Mbalula.
During the visit, Aviwe’s mother Nomthandazo Jam Jam, 56, proudly showed journalists a photo of Aviwe at her graduation. Aviwe attained a tourism degree from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT).
Nomthandazo said Aviwe would be missed because she always “brought life” to her home, and urged women to report abuse and assault to police as soon as possible.
“Women, stand your ground because if you put up with abuse, you are putting up with death,” Mbalula warned
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