Man who stabbed girlfriend in the head during a fight over food is jailed for ten years

A 43-year-old man has been sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment for assaulting his girlfriend in Niekerkshoop in the Northern Cape, the South African Police Service said in a media statement issued through the Office of the Provincial Commissioner.

Anthony Modzinger was convicted and sentenced in the Regional Court in Griekwastad on Friday, 23 October 2026 for assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. The court further declared him unfit to possess a firearm.

According to the statement, the victim and the accused were visiting friends on Sunday, 22 March 2026 and decided to sleep over. During the night the victim was woken by the sound of a door opening and later realised her boyfriend had apparently left the premises without her knowledge. When he returned he demanded food from her, became aggressive and repeatedly slapped her across the face.

The son of the victim’s friend tried to intervene but was unsuccessful, and the accused continued the assault. He then went to the kitchen, fetched a knife and stabbed the victim in the head. She escaped and took refuge at a neighbour’s house. The following morning she sought medical treatment at a hospital and reported the incident to the Niekerkshoop police.

Modzinger was arrested and later released on bail. He appeared in the Regional Court in Griekwastad on several occasions before the conviction and sentence.

The Northern Cape provincial management welcomed the outcome and commended Detective Constable Emily Swartz of the Niekerkshoop Detective Service for what the statement described as thorough and meticulous investigation.

The police service said the case reinforced its commitment to holding perpetrators of violence accountable and that violence within an intimate relationship is never acceptable and must never be dismissed as a private family matter. It urged victims to report abuse and community members to support those affected.

The account above is drawn from the SAPS media statement, which summarises the evidence presented in court rather than reproducing the court record itself.

Source: South African Police Service, https://www.saps.gov.za/newsroom/msspeechdetail.php?nid=72054