The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities says it is encouraged by the University of Western Cape's (UWC) bold step to suspend a student from its campus after he allegedly stabbed his wife at a private student residence.

The student, Ntembeko Myalo, made a brief appearance at the Bellville Magistrates' Court on Monday, where he was charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing his wife at a private student residence in Belhar, Cape Town, on Saturday.

It has been reported that his 26-year-old wife, a Student at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), underwent surgery.

The department has commended Myalo's arrest and the university's decision to suspend him.

The department said it is sad that despite concerted efforts put in place over the years to address gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF), the scourge continues relentlessly.

"There is ongoing instances of femicide with some deaths committed in [the] most heinous manner imaginable. The recent attack of a student at an institution of higher learning is appalling and should never happen again," the department said.

The National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (NSP on GBVF) states: "The rate of femicide in South Africa continues to be amongst the highest globally with three women reported killed each day by their intimate partners."

The NSP on GBVF centres around six pillars, including accountability, coordination and leadership; Prevention and Rebuilding Social Cohesion; Justice, Safety and Protection; Response, Care, Support and Healing; Economic Power; and Research and Information systems.

The 2022 Presidential Summit on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide also acknowledged that the GBVF in South Africa continues to be a national pandemic, and many women continue to be victims of it.

"The success of the NSP on GBVF is dependent on all of us working together in a coordinated and multisectoral approach to ensure that we prevent this scourge," the department said.