The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) has called for calm after a woman was murdered in an apparent Islamophobic attack at her home in Glenmore in Durban, at the weekend.
SAJBD deputy director, Charisse Zeifert said they are outraged by the killing of the woman and the attack on her family members.
“This is a tragic event and our hearts and prayers go out to the affected family.
“We ask that this matter be investigated thoroughly by the judicial system, and that the investigations and legal processes be allowed to take their course. In this highly charged environment, we call for calm from all communities so that justice can prevail,” Zeifert said.
The woman was stabbed to death when a man attacked her and her family in the early hours of Sunday morning.
At the time, ALS Paramedics spokesperson, Garrith Jamieson said emergency teams arrived to find that three people had been attacked.
"Paramedics found that a female, believed to be in her 40s, had sustained multiple fatal stab wounds to her body. There was nothing more that could be done for her and she was declared deceased at the scene,“ he said.
Jamieson added that two other people, a man and boy, had also been stabbed several times.
"Both were in a critical condition and required multiple Advanced Life Support techniques to stabilise at the scene before they were rushed to a nearby hospital for the urgent care that they required.“
According to police, the suspect allegedly threatened to rape the woman’s 10-year-old daughter.
Speaking to IOL, provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Robert Netshiunda said the girl told police that the man stated that he was stabbing them because they supported Palestine.
A video of the man, in a Durban hospital, has since gone viral on social media. In the clip, two men are asking what his motives for the murder and the attack were. The suspect has been arrested and is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.
IOL News