The Department of Higher Education and Training has welcomed the arrest of a man who stabbed his wife at her student residence in Cape Town.

The 26-year-old woman is a student at Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), while her alleged attacker, 30, is a University of Western Cape (UWC) student.

According to UWC, the suspect and the CPUT student are a married couple. The horrific incident was reportedly filmed by another student from their room. Three men watched helplessly begging and fearing to approach the man who seemed ready to stab anyone who came his way while the bloodied woman laid defenceless. However, in another video, the man is filmed getting a beating from a group of students both male and female before he is rescued by security. 

The Minister of Higher Education Blade Nzimande labelled the stabbing barbaric. "We welcome the swift response of law enforcement agencies in arresting the perpetrator, who according to the video footage in circulation was so merciless and barbaric in committing the crime against his spouse. Gender-Based Violence (GBV) or Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) are global pandemics that affected one in three women in their lifetime," he said. Nzimande urged all institutions working with Higher Health, which oversees wellness at higher education institutions to continue working collectively in implementing programmes towards addressing the challenges of sexual and Gender-Based Violence within the Post School Education and Training system. Nzimande wished the victim a speedy recovery.

#NotInMyName, a civil rights movement fighting against femicide and Gender-Based Violence condemned the incident calling it 'cowardly'. This came just a few hours after another gruesome video emerged on social media where another man, an employee at Sibanye Stillwater is seen stabbing and disemboweling his co-worker at a hostel.

The man proceeded to take a selfie image next to his deceased co-worker. "Both incidents highlight the urgent need to address toxic and violent masculinities in South Africa. The levels of violence in South Africa have reached supreme heights to be left to the hands of a government that seem to be fascinated by inactivity," the organisation said in a statement. Western Cape police spokesperson, FC van Wyk, said Belhar police have registered an attempted murder case following a stabbing incident on Saturday where a 26-year-old female student was injured. "Circumstances surrounding this stabbing incident are under investigation," he said, adding that the victim is currently in a critical condition in hospital. Van Wyk also said that the suspect who has since been arrested is currently under police guard in a hospital after he was assaulted by the mob following the incident.