The family of a woman who was stabbed to death in the street more than a week ago have paid tribute to their “warm-hearted” daughter.
Claudia Kambanza, 22, was stabbed on Hinderwell Street in Hull on 26 January at about 3am. She died a short time after being taken to hospital.
Mateus Johannes, 28, of no fixed address, has been charged with Kambanza’s murder and the possession of a bladed article in a public space. He has been remanded in custody and will appear before Hull crown court on 28 March.
The two, who are originally from Namibia and were thought to have been a couple, had a joint TikTok account with more than 1,000 followers where they shared videos about their relationship. Some videos showed Johannes giving Kambanza presents such as flower bouquets, money and designer brand trainers.
On a GoFundMe page set up by Kambanza’s family she was described as “kind and bubbly”. The page also described her as “a very strong young woman who was warm-hearted, and had a very accommodative spirit”.
Kambanza is survived by three siblings and her parents, who said their daughter’s sudden death had “torn their hearts apart”. The family of Kambanza say they also face the financial burden of bringing her body back to Namibia and are trying to raise a total of £15,000 to make this possible.
Supt Al Curtis, of Humberside police, released a statement to assure the local community about safety in the area after Kambanza’s death. The statement said: “I understand that an incident like this will cause shock and concern among the community. I would like to offer some reassurance that this is believed to be an isolated incident between individuals known to each other with no wider risk to members of the public.”
