Guardian and friends describe volatile relationship in Northern Cape student murder trial
· Citizen
Testimony in the trial of a Northern Cape man accused of murdering a student, who was his girlfriend, has painted their relationship as abusive, with a guardian revealing that a protection order had been granted against him.
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The trial of Siphosovuyo Yabo, 22, is underway in the Northern Cape Division of the High Court, sitting in Colesberg.
Yabo’s trial underway for murder of his girlfriend, Buba
Yabo is accused of murdering his 19-year-old girlfriend, Alulutho Bunono Buba, a student at the Central University of Technology (CUT) in Bloemfontein, Free State.
Buba’s body was discovered in an open veld between Bongweni and Khayelitsha in Kuyasa, Cape Town, with a wound to her throat and a stab wound to her abdomen in June 2025.
In the early hours of 5 June 2025, police responded to reports that someone was attacking people in Kuyasa.
At approximately 2.25 am, the student’s body was found, leading to an investigation and Yabo’s subsequent arrest.
During questioning, Yabo initially told the police that he collected Buba from Bloemfontein and brought her to Colesberg to spend time with him. He claimed that the two had reconciled and rekindled their relationship on 4 June 2025.
“Yabo further alleged that they had been looking for alcohol at local taverns and, while returning home after failing to find alcohol at the last tavern they visited, they were attacked by five unidentified men during an attempted robbery,” the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Mojalefa Senokoatsane said.
Accused claimed couple attacked by five men during attempted robbery
“He claimed that he managed to escape to seek assistance and, upon returning to the scene, discovered Buba with a wound to her throat.”
Yabo was initially admitted to the hospital for observation after he sustained an injury to his thumb.
After he was discharged from the hospital, police questioned the accused in connection with the incident, and he was subsequently charged with murder after investigators examined the circumstances surrounding Buba’s death and his account of the events.
The accused is facing charges of murder and defeating the administration of justice.
The accused made his first appearance in the Colesberg Magistrate’s Court on 9 June 2025.
The family of Alulutho Bunono Buba. Picture: Supplied.The state, represented by Prosecutor Sisipho Zicina, successfully opposed his initial bail application, and he was denied bail on 20 June 2025.
Three bail application attempts
He then applied for bail two more times based on new facts, but the state opposed both applications. The accused remains in custody.
His trial started on Monday, 12 October 2026, with Advocate Rohann Steyn leading the prosecution.
Steyn brought in several witnesses to testify about the circumstances surrounding the student’s death and her relationship with the accused.
Buba’s guardian testified that Yabo had allegedly been abusive towards Buba and that a protection order had previously been granted against him.
The victim’s two friends, who are also students in Bloemfontein, testified about what they described as a volatile and abusive relationship.
“Their testimony included evidence that Buba had, at one stage, changed the commune where she was staying in an effort to distance herself from the accused,” Senokoatsane said.
Friends described a volatile relationship
The state also called the police officers who were among the first responders at the scene to testify.
The officers said they had to restrain Yabo, who they said was aggressive, and told the court that there was blood on his clothing when they encountered him.
The doctor who treated the accused while he was in hospital also testified about the injuries Yabo sustained, particularly the wound to his thumb.
The trial has been adjourned to 8-12 February 2027, when proceedings are expected to resume.
Senokoatsane said the successful prosecution of gender-based violence (GBV) cases is still a priority for the NPA.
“Allegations involving violence against women remain a serious concern, and the NPA will continue working with law enforcement agencies to ensure that matters supported by sufficient evidence are brought before the courts,” Senokoatsane added.