Knife attack victim laid to rest, more than 1,500 people attend burial

More than 1,500 people attended the burial of Nomqhele Nkiwane who died on Wednesday after she was stabbed to death by her ex-husband, Gellot Ncube, who later hanged himself in Gwabalanda, Bulawayo.

The burial which took place at West Park Cemetery in Bulawayo was attended by her relatives, friends and workmates.

Ncube's relatives were nowhere in sight.

Family spokesperson and brother to the deceased Nkosilathi Nkiwane said as a family they have accepted Nomqhele's death and God is helping them to move on.

"We are hurt but God's power has made us to accept the situation. As a Christian family we have managed not to let our grief get in the way of giving Nomqhele a proper and respectable burial," said Nkiwane.

Nkosilathi also said that the Nkiwane family had not spoken to Ncube's family and they were not planning on any form of dialogue.

"They did not attend the funeral and we don't know what they are thinking. We are not going to ask them to speak to us and we are not going to dialogue with them in future."

Nomqhele was murdered on Wednesday night by Ncube. Ncube's  body was found hanging from a tree in Gwabalanda suburb on Thursday morning by children who were going to school.

Ncube, an omnibus driver allegedly committed the gruesome murder after Nomqhele Nkiwane, 28, his wife of two years, reportedly left him complaining that he was cheating on her.

The couple left behind a two-year-old daughter

Ncube reportedly told a friend on the fateful day that he wanted to kill his daughter first.

He is said to have failed to locate her when he went on to kill his wife.

Ncube's sister, Sibongile, told police that he left her some money, saying some of it should be given to his parents and the rest should be used for his burial, minutes after killing his wife.

Sources close to the couple said Nkiwane left her matrimonial home last month after she caught her husband with a girlfriend.

"At the time he plied the Bulawayo-Harare route. He told her he was going on a trip and she saw him a day later, having a good time with a girlfriend. She went home, collected her clothes and went back to her parents' house," said the source.

Ncube reportedly pleaded with her to return to their home and when she refused, he started sending her threatening messages via WhatsApp.