Free State Man Arrested for Allegedly Killing Friend Over Girlfriend Dispute

• A 41-year-old man was arrested for allegedly killing his friend over a girlfriend dispute in Bohlokong, Free State
• The incident involved a violent confrontation with a spade fork, resulting in the victim's fatal injury
• The suspect is set to appear in court on 5 January 2026, following the murder charge

Justin Williams, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, covers South Africa’s current affairs. Before joining Briefly News, he served as a writer and chief editor at Right for Education Africa’s South African chapter.

FREE STATE - A 41-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly killing his friend during a dispute over a girlfriend in Bohlokong, Free State.

Involved with the suspect’s girlfriend

According to provincial police spokesperson Warrant Officer Mmako Mophiring, the incident occurred on 1 January 2026, when a group of men were drinking, and an argument erupted over allegations that the deceased was involved with the suspect’s girlfriend. Mophiring stated that during the confrontation, both men allegedly armed themselves with a spade and a spade fork found in the garage. The suspect allegedly stabbed the deceased in the face with the spade fork before fleeing the scene

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The injured man was rushed to a local hospital but later died from an open stab wound to the face. Police were called to the hospital and immediately opened an investigation. The suspect later turned himself in and has been charged with murder. He is expected to appear in the Bethlehem Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 5 January 2026. The weapon used in the attack has been seized as evidence.

Other murder-related stories

The South African Police Service (SAPS) charged a Senekal, Free State man with murder after he was initially arrested and charged with attempted murder. This was after his girlfriend, whom he allegedly assaulted and held hostage, died from her wounds on 30 December 2025. The suspect was arrested on 9 December 2025 after allegedly kidnapping his girlfriend from the Tambo Section in Matwabeng. He held her hostage for almost one week, assaulting her throughout the period.

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SAPS arrests man for allegedly murdering girlfriend in the Free State

A 29-year-old woman from Mpumalanga has been remanded in custody after appearing in the Witbank Magistrate’s Court on a charge of murdering her brother-in-law. Melissa Vice is accused of killing 25-year-old Willie Visser, whose body was found on 16 December 2025 in bushes near the Seekoeiwater plots, close to the Doornpoort Sub-Station. Police said the discovery was made after a passer-by noticed a man lying a few metres from a dirt road between Bankenveld and Seekoeiwater plots and alerted his employer, who then contacted authorities.

A mother was brutally killed while walking with her daughter at the corner of Troye and Kerk Streets in Johannesburg. The woman, whose identity has not yet been released, was reportedly robbed of her cellphone and shot dead in front of her child. South Africans expressed their sorrow and anger, questioning why someone would kill for a cellphone.

Proofreading by Kelly Lippke, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News