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Police and pathologists take the body of the dead woman to a waiting government mortuary van.

Murder of woman highlights crime in Thohoyandou

 

The recent killing of an innocent woman at Golgotha in Thohoyandou has caused an uproar in the Indian community, which has been a target for robberies and attacks in the recent past.

Ms Hazraben Zakir Patel (27) of Golgotha met her untimely death at the hands of robbers while at home with another woman and a three-year-old child. The three were surprised by three thugs, including a woman, who gained entry through the kitchen window.

The killing comes hardly four months after Limpopo’s deputy police commissioner, Gen Benny Ntlemeza, has vowed to leave no stone unturned in tracking those involved in vicious crimes in Thohoyandou and areas surrounding Shayandima. He visited the area after an outcry by residents of Thohoyandou, more specifically the Indian community, who have been targets of armed robberies at their homes and their businesses.

Golgotha, the  area where Ms Patel was killed, became notorious as the hunting ground of the man alleged to be the Univen serial killer, Ndivhuho Ntsieni. Ntsieni allegedly raped and killed four people in the area and is currently applying for bail in the Thohoyandou Magistrate's Court.

It is alleged that two men accompanied by a woman entered the house at around 10:00 through the back kitchen window. It is believed they surprised the two women in the house who were left alone while their husbands had gone to work. The trio is alleged to have demanded cash and other valuables from the women.

After ransacking the house, the robbers fled through the back again. One of the women managed to untie herself and ran to a neighbour’s house and alerted them of their ordeal. The neighbours rushed to the house, only to find that the other woman had suffocated after her mouth had been tightly tied by the robbers.

The robbery and subsequent murder have again raised the issue of crime perpetrated against the Indian community.

Family member Mustak Patel said he was at work when he received a call from neighbours that something was amiss at home. “On rushing home, we tried to resuscitate our relative, but we failed. We took her to a local doctor, who pronounced her dead on arrival. We are so sad. We wonder why they had to kill her and did not just take whatever they wanted, because the women were defenceless. The women offered no resistance, but still she was killed."

A neighbour, who preferred anonymity, said she was at home in the morning when she saw many people in the street. “I did not know that there had been a murder and robbery as these people always have weddings and other functions and this has become a common feature here. I thought there was some sort of celebration, but was saddened when I learnt of the incident,” she said.

Indian community leader and businessman Ayub Madina said crime had become one of the worrying factors in the Thohoyandou area and the whole country. “Our community is sick and tired of crime. My son recently had his car hijacked in Gauteng and there has been many violent incidents in the Thohoyandou area. This is despite the campaigns we conduct in our area and the partnerships we are forging with the local police,” he said.

Thohoyandou police spokesperson Major Mashudu Malelo said three robbers entered the house after forcing the kitchen window open with a knife. "They tied the women up with pieces of clothing. The robbers made off with an amount of R30 000. We have opened a murder case and our investigations are ongoing," said Malelo.

He said no arrests had been made so far. "We are appealing to the community to assist us in our investigations. Somebody out there saw or knows something, and those with information could give it to their nearest police station," added Malelo.

Crime scene experts comb the scene of the incident for evidence.

Police vans line the street next to the house where the woman was murdered in Golgotha in Thohoyandou.

 

Date:16 April 2015

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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