‘You and your mother must come and see Kamini, she is dead’: Man allegedly phoned victim’s family after attack - IOL

Kamini Garbaran was found bludgeoned to death on Thursday.

A Verulam mother was found bludgeoned to death in her bed after an alleged altercation with a man known to her, at her Parkgate home, on Thursday afternoon.

It has been alleged that Kamini Garbaran, 44, was the victim of a horrific gender-based violence (GBV) attack.

Her sister Marlini Munsamy alleged the man called her at around 9am on Thursday and said: “You and your mother must come and see Kamini, she is dead.”

She said his words sent chills down her spine, and she asked him how he knew that she was dead.

“He said she was not moving and the room was smelling and indicated that her body was decomposing.

“I told him to call the police and ambulance, as I was at work and was unable to get to Verulam.

“I then called my mother to notify her of what had happened, and she called the Verulam police, asking them to go to my sister’s house and check on her,” claimed Munsamy.

“The police took my sister’s address and details, but my mother did not get any feedback.

“I called my sister’s neighbours and they told us that the police had gone to the house, and that she was dead inside,” Munsamy said.

She claimed when she went to the Phoenix Forensic Mortuary on Friday morning, she was not allowed to view her sister’s body or identify her.

“I had a hard time getting information and tried to get her body released so we can arrange her funeral. Our surnames are not the same, so I was not allowed to claim her body.

“The officials at the mortuary told me that I needed to come back with the investigating officer.

“They also said that the man known to her could be granted bail, and he could claim her body. I left a copy of my identity document and my details and left. 

“We have no idea when we can have her funeral, or when her body would be released,” added Munsamy.

Munsamy alleged that Garbaran had suffered years of abuse at the hands of the same man.

She said the abuse started in 2023, and escalated in 2024.

She alleged man held her sister hostage inside her home and repeatedly assaulted her.

Kamini Garbaran was in a coma for two months after an assault at the hands of the same man, in 2025.

In December 2024, Munsamy alleged the man had burnt Garbaran on her face and head while holding her hostage, and she sustained serious head injuries.

In May 2025, she said Garbaran was so badly assaulted that she remained in a coma at Life Entabeni Hospital for two months.

“In December 2024, after he spent a few weeks in Westville Prison for her attempted murder, my sister dropped the charges and they reconciled.

“Then in February last year, he held her captive and assaulted her where her eyes were blue and her face was swollen. 

“That Friday night, detectives phoned us at around 2:30am. I teach online so I was awake. The officer said there was a domestic problem and my sister was injured. He said the ambulance was taking her to hospital.

“He hit her with a hammer. She had blunt force injuries to her head. She was taken to Entabeni Hospital and remained in an induced coma for two months,” Munsamy alleged.

“From that night, her son moved in with me and I am his guardian. He is now 14-years-old,” she added.

She said at the time, the doctors gave her sister 24 to 48 hours to live.

Her family was told that if Garbaran survived, she would be unable to walk and she would not be the same person.

“She never fully recovered. She learnt how to walk again and eventually learnt how to talk. But she was never herself. She could not go back to her job as an administrator.

“She was slow in her movements and she could not remember things. She dragged her feet and walked, and she was diagnosed with schizophrenia due to her head injuries.”

Munsamy said the man was charged with attempted murder, but after being imprisoned for 10 months.

In December 2025 they found out that he was released from prison and was back at his home.

“In January this year, he came to my house and tried to talk to my sister.  He eventually convinced her to move back in with him in February.

“He played the perfect partner until August, when he started hitting her again. She went quiet and did not contact us. When I went to check on her, she was laying on her bed and a few of her teeth were missing.

“Her mouth was filled with blood and she had a blue eye.

“She refused to go to the hospital, so I took her to a doctor who treated her for her injuries. She still wanted stay with him.

“She said he had stopped hitting her.

“On Monday this week, I gave her money. On Tuesday at midday, we spoke and she said she was okay.

“On Wednesday, I did not hear from her. I kept trying to contact her throughout the day but she did not respond.

“On Thursday at 9am, he called me to say she was dead,” she alleged.

Gareth Naidoo, head of KZN VIP Emergency Services, said Garbaran was found in her bed with horrific injuries to her face, head, and body. 

He said she sustained blunt force trauma injuries to her face and head.

“She had visible bruising to her entire face, and her teeth were missing.

“She had a severe deformity to her right eye, and bruising to her upper arms. She was declared dead on the scene,” he added.

Naidoo said police were at the scene and arrested the man.

He said when they got to the scene, neighbours said they reported previous incidents of suspected domestic violence at the property.

“Neighbours said police had frequented the house on numerous other occasions following reports of GBV.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the woman’s family and loved ones during this difficult time,” added Naidoo.

Vanessa Chetty, a gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) activist and member of the National Dialogue Steering Committee on GBVF, said too little is done too late to support victims.

“Our message is: a shout will become a shove, a shove will become a slap, and a slap can lead to deeper levels of violence.

“Violence in the early stages needs to be reported before it reaches a stage of life threatening situations and murder,” she added.

Chetty said the country was less than two weeks away from the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children Campaign, commemorated annually from November 25 to December 10, and Garbaran’s murder was a slap in the face to the campaign.

“We are calling for a 365 days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children Campaign.

“We do not want prevention, awareness, and interventions to be pushed during this time only. We want it to be every day, so that violence against women and children can stop,” added Naidoo.

She encouraged family, friends, and neighbours who may know of women being abused, to report it to police so that there can be early interventions to avoid more women being killed.