Traditional justice is more effective than jail – South African man says as he mourns his 13-year-old daughter stabbed to death by phone thieves

A South African man, Xoviswe Mgubhela, has mourned his 13-year-old daughter who was stabbed to death by suspected phone thieves. 

Taking to X on Wednesday, April 17, 2024, the grieving father said he does not want the perpetrators to be arrested because traditional justice is more effective than a jail term. 

“Lost my daughter today. Can’t sleep, can’t eat, can’t even be in the same room as her mom & siblings. Nothing ever prepared me for this. Can’t even start funeral arrangements as police are still busy with postmortem. Why would you stab a 13 yr old to death for her phone?,” he wrote. 

“I just want her to be laid to rest in peace in the burial grounds of her Ancestors. I also wish they don’t arrest the perpetrators, the family has made peace with her passing. Traditional justice is more effective. They will wish they were in jail.

“It’s a pity genuine traditional justice affects the entire bloodline of the perpetrators, sometimes for more than 1 generation. It’s people we don’t know & they might not know us. Nijwayela abantu kabi. Lessons will be learnt.”