Zanele Dibaza, a 21-year-old woman from Greenfields, Gqeberha, South Africa, was tragically beaten to death by her boyfriend on New Year’s Day, January 1, 2025.
The advocacy group Women For Change confirmed the incident in a statement on Wednesday, January 8, 2024.
According to reports, Zanele’s family grew concerned when she failed to return home. Her sister, Anela, went to the boyfriend’s house, where she discovered Zanele’s lifeless, naked body.
Zanele was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. Her boyfriend, identified as 25-year-old Baxolise, later turned himself in to authorities and has been charged with murder.
Anela recounted that Zanele had recently been paid and had planned to take the family to the beach for the first time in three years.
“Baxolise came to pick her up from our house, and she promised to buy snacks for the little ones. When she didn’t return for hours, I went to his house to ask for her bank card,” Anela said.
Upon arriving, Anela knocked on the door, but Baxolise told her to wait. After waiting for 30 minutes with no response, Anela called for his mother, who used a knife to unlock the door. Inside, they found Zanele lying naked, with a swollen head and a deep wound on her forehead.
Anela described Baxolise as still being angry and aggressive. “He tried to force my sister to stand up, insisting she was pretending not to move,” she said.
Police spokesperson Captain Andre Beetge confirmed that Baxolise surrendered to the police around 8 p.m. on January 1.
“She and her partner had been at her house earlier that day and seemed fine before leaving together at around 6:30 a.m. About an hour later, her sister found her at the boyfriend’s house in the same area,” Beetge stated.
Zanele had suffered severe head injuries, which proved fatal. Baxolise appeared in court on Friday on a charge of murder, and his case has been postponed to a later date.
Friends and community members held a candlelight vigil for Zanele on Wednesday in Qunu, Booysens Park, to honor her memory.
