Chaos after body is found at Phadzima

When the body of an elderly woman was recently found, community members of Phadzima in Nzhelele were convinced that she had been raped and killed. They subsequently gathered and started barricading the main tarred road passing by the village.

An 82-year-old woman, Ms Kutama Mutheiwana, was found dead at an abandoned house not far from her home. Residents barricaded the main road, apparently in an effort to convince the Siloam police to hunt for the suspect. Some community members claimed that a certain man had been responsible for the murder. The man, who had just returned from prison, was accused of being the cause of all the cruel incidents that had apparently happened in the village.

A fortnight ago, from Tuesday evening until Saturday, residents were barricading the road and burning tyres during the night. During the day, the situation appeared calm, but during the night it was a disaster and a frustration to motorists who often use the road.

The ward councillor, Cllr Richard Thandavhathu, said that they had met with the community stakeholders last Monday to establish what the problems were. “It was hostile, but at least now the situation is calm and the police have promised to investigate the matter thoroughly,” said Cllr Thandavhathu.

A Vhulaudzi crisis management committee was subsequently established to monitor the situation and the community ultimately agreed to leave the matter to the police to investigate. The Vhulaudzi Royal Council also met with the stakeholders in the community to discuss the murders that have occurred in the area over the recent years.

The spokesperson of the established committee, Mr Albert Mafhala, told Limpopo Mirror on Tuesday that two consecutive meetings were held with the police to find out if answers to more than 10 alleged incidents of a similar nature could be established.

“We are going to put a suggestion box at the Vhulaudzi satellite station, and we are encouraging members of the community to use the suggestion box to bring information that might lead to arrests,” he said.

The spokesperson for the Siloam police station, W/O Edward Tharaga, said that the community members had met with the police and agreed to try and resolve the problems. “We are investigating, and we urge those people to use their appointed delegates to communicate with us rather than taking their anger to the road,” he said.

He remarked that the road was for public use and the community should refrain from barricading it.

Date:24 October 2014

By: Phathutshedzo Luvhengo

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