Outrage is growing in Khayelitsha after a 39-year-old pregnant woman allegedly died during a police operation at her tavern in the Level 2 informal settlement. Nonkululo Fente, who was four months pregnant and expecting her second child, is alleged to have died on the night of Thursday, 7 May, after officers linked to Lingelethu West police station questioned her during a drug raid.

The case has shaken relatives and neighbours alike. According to a family member, Fente’s mother was told about her death in the early hours of Friday morning. The family says the loss has deepened an already painful period after the deaths of Fente’s brother last year and her father the year before.

Relatives say nine officers, including two women, arrived at the tavern looking for drugs. They were allegedly told that police found six straws, although the family says it does not know what those straws contained.

According to the family’s account, Fente told officers that was all she had. They allege police believed there were more drugs and, instead of taking her to the station, began assaulting her during questioning.

Witnesses and relatives allege that Fente was tortured, including claims that a plastic bag was placed over her head and that she was pepper-sprayed. A family member said she pleaded with officers, telling them they were killing her, but was ignored. The same relative alleged that after she lost consciousness, one officer poured beer on her face to check if she would wake up.

These are serious allegations and have not been tested in court.

Ipid says investigation awaits technical reports

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate has confirmed that it is dealing with the matter. Spokesperson Phaladi Shuping said the case was reported to Ipid, the investigation itself had been completed, and officials were now waiting for technical reports.

That means the matter has moved beyond the complaint stage, but key medical or forensic findings may still shape what happens next.

Political pressure builds for suspensions and charges

Alliance of Citizens for Change president Masizole Mnqasela has condemned the incident and says the party will march to Lingelethu West police station on Wednesday at 2 pm to demand justice. He argued that Fente was treated with brutality because she was poor and a woman, and said wealthier suspects would likely have been handled differently.

Mnqasela is calling for the officers involved to be suspended immediately and criminally charged if the allegations are confirmed. For many residents, the case has become more than one family’s tragedy. It is now a test of whether poor communities can expect protection from police or fear them.