FREE STATE — A tragic weekend dispute in a Free State community has led to a severe criminal arrest, as a local woman faces a murder charge following the fatal stabbing of her partner, Samikele Setofole, in Jacobsdal. The 24-year-old suspect, a Riemvasmaak resident, is currently in police custody and preparing for an imminent hearing at the local Magistrate’s Court.
Free State Police Spokesperson Sinah Mpakane outlined the sequence of events that led authorities to a residential shack in Saundershoogte, situated within the Generations Location. Law enforcement responded to the property on Saturday, 8 August 2026, shortly after 18:35, following reports of a severe domestic altercation involving a bladed weapon.
Upon arriving at the property, officers encountered the 24-year-old woman. According to authorities, she immediately identified herself as the partner of the deceased and admitted to inflicting the wound.
The suspect provided a specific narrative regarding the evening’s events, stating that she and the 52-year-old victim were inside the structure consuming alcohol and listening to music. She alleged that the fatal injury was not intentional, claiming it happened during a “playful interaction” while she was holding an Okapi knife. During this exchange, the blade allegedly struck the victim in the neck area. Realizing the 52-year-old was bleeding profusely, the woman told police she ran outside the shack to find emergency assistance.
Paramedics from Emergency Medical Services swiftly arrived at the Generations Location address, but the extensive trauma proved unsurvivable, and Setofole was officially declared dead at the scene.
Following the medical pronouncement, the Jacobsdal SAPS formally registered a murder docket. The suspect was promptly taken into custody as detectives continue their active investigation into the exact dynamics of the fatal incident.
