The life of a 30-year-old man was brought to an abrupt end when he was stabbed with a knife at Mbhokota village, near Elim.

The incident took place along the footpath which leads to a local tavern at around 03:00 last Saturday.

The residents were awakened by loud screams and cries which came from the scene, and they left their homes to find out what was wrong. They found Mr Rhulani Maluleke lying dead in a pool of blood.

The spokesperson for the Waterval police, Const Cynthia Ndou, confirmed the incident and added that the police had opened a murder case. According to Ndou, the police have arrested a suspect. Matimba Innocent Baloyi (20) has already appeared in the Waterval Magistrate's Court in connection with the case. It was postponed to 1 June for further investigations and a bail application.

The deceased's uncle and family spokesperson, Mr Morris Ntuli, said that they were devastated after learning about Maluleke's brutal death. “This is very disturbing. He was only a young man, who was steadily building up his life, regardless of the fact that he was an orphan.”

Maluleke will be laid to rest at Mbhokota village on Saturday.