“I will never be the same again”: Heartbroken father speaks out after daughter's murder by boyfriend
25-year-old Enhle Manzi was stabbed to death by her boyfriend while she was visiting him in Parrow Valley.
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A heartbroken father stood outside the Bellville Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday morning, his voice heavy with heartbreak, as he spoke about the brutal killing of his 25-year-old daughter, Entle Manzi.
“I will never be the same again,” said Bhekisizwe Manzi, struggling to contain his emotions. “She is supposed to be turning 26 on Friday.”
Entle was stabbed to death over the weekend in Parow Valley, in what police have confirmed is a murder case now under investigation. Her family, still in shock, gathered at court as they awaited the first appearance of the man accused of killing her.
Manzi described his daughter as the eldest of three children, a young woman whose life was cut short in an act of violence he had always feared but never imagined would reach his own home.
“As a father with daughters, I have always been on edge about the violence in South Africa. I never thought that this would happen to me,” he said.
The family’s nightmare began with a phone call on Monday, he said.
“I got a call around 12 midnight from an agent who wanted to confirm my relationship to her,” he recalled. “They said they found her work tag. The agent only told me to expect a call from a detective.”
According to Manzi, his daughter had been in a relationship with the accused, 24-year-old Mihlali Dlepu, since 2021, and he was known to some members of the family.
“That boy has killed the rest of our family and me because this will affect us for the rest of our lives,” he said.
Police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed that a murder case was opened following the stabbing incident in the early hours of Monday, March 30.
“The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation. We can confirm that a 24-year-old male was arrested in connection with the murder,” he said.
On Wednesday, the accused made a brief appearance, and the matter was postponed to Thursday, April 02, for a formal bail application.
The Manzi family says that they will wait, holding onto hope that the court will deliver accountability for the life of a daughter they say was taken far too soon.