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South African footballer Thembinkosi Lorch was arrested early on Monday for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend, according to multiple local media reports.

Lorch allegedly slapped and strangled his girlfriend, Nokhupiwa Mathithibala, after she had asked him about his whereabouts.

According to the reports, Nokhupiwa filed a case against him at Midrand Police Station in Midrand, Gauteng province, on Sunday.

He was later released on bail and is expected to appear in court next month on charges of assault with the intent to cause bodily harm.

Lorch’s club, Orlando Pirates, released a statement on Monday saying it was aware of an alleged incident involving the player.

“As a club we cannot comment further except to say that we condemn all forms of violence, especially violence against women and children. We support the rights of each and every individual but we strongly condemn violence,” the statement said.

‘This country has witnessed some of the most appalling cases of GBV and we do not take this matter lightly, however we need to respect the process undertaken by the authorities and allow the law to take its course.”

News of Lorch’s arrest came in the wake of President Cyril Ramaphosa announcing that the country will tighten laws on gender-based violence and sexual offences.

According to Ramaphosa the new laws will help restore the confidence of South Africa’s women that the law is there to protect them.

South Africa has one of the highest incidences of rape and domestic violence globally.