Cape Town - A quiet suburb is still reeling from the shocking murder of a special needs teacher.
Shane Human, 33, was stabbed to death on Saturday night, allegedly by his neighbour, Gareth Blight.
They had been neighbours for five years and in December they had a fight and Human was left injured.
The victim, a teacher at Bishops School of Skills, and his family were having a braai at their Shiraz Street home in Protea Village, Brackenfell, on the evening of the incident when a fight broke out.
His girlfriend, Chrisna Matthee, told the Cape Argus that the accused had then threatened to kill all of them.
“Shane went to Gareth to confront him as this was not the first time they had a tiff. Last year he stabbed Shane in the lung and the police quickly shut the case and they hadn’t spoken since then.
“Gareth looked over our wall and started saying all these racial words, calling him the K and H words and when he said he would stab him in the heart and kill all of us, including our children, then Shane couldn’t take it any more.”
She said her boyfriend went to confront his neighbour and was stabbed.
“He went to him and asked why he was saying all those things. Gareth first took a gas tank and turned it to Shane and my brother, like he was going to set them on fire.
“Shane was standing there and doing nothing when he was stabbed,” the distraught woman explained.
“Gareth took out a knife and then stabbed Shane once in the heart. He took a few steps and then fell on our driveway. I knew he was dead when he didn’t get up.
“Shane was standing there and doing nothing when he was stabbed,” the distraught woman explained.
“He didn’t deserve what happened to him, he was a father and a good man.”
The accused’s mother, Dawn Groom, said her son was provoked.
“He was cleaning his python’s cage when Shane threw a beer glass at him.
“My son decided to go to the garage and work on his car and then suddenly we heard a loud bang, and that was Shane and his friends kicking the garage door.
“They managed to tear the door and Gareth took the tank and they backed up a little bit but they didn’t leave. Gareth begged them to go away and then he ended up stabbing Shane in the chest with the knife he was using to cut cables,” Groom explained.
“I am only sharing this with the Cape Argus because I wanted people to understand what happened that night.
“We are devastated too, we are all shocked by this incident.”
Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg confirmed Brackenfell SAPS had registered a murder case for investigation after the stabbing incident.
“According to reports, the victim had an argument with the suspect when he was stabbed. The victim sustained a stab wound to his chest and was declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel.
“An adult male was arrested in connection with the murder.”
Yesterday, Human’s family members and Matthee went to Blue Downs Magistrates’ Court where Blight made his first appearance.