Local resident executed

A resident of Makwarela, Mr Tshilidzi Makhado (36), was brutally shot dead execution style at a stop street in Thohoyandou early on Tuesday afternoon.

The shooting, which took place at around 13:30, has instilled fear in residents as several shootings have been reported around Thohoyandou and Makwarela in recent times. The scene where the incident happened was soon swarming with curious and terrified onlookers. The roads next to the scene were cordoned off for several hours.

Family members, including the mother of the deceased, cried uncontrollably upon seeing the body slumped over the steering wheel. Blood was seeping under the car and flowing in the street.

Mr Makhado was on his way to pick up school pupils at a school in Thohoyandou when he was ambushed by unknown assailants.

Tragedies have become a way of life for the Makhado family of four sons. Several years ago, the eldest son died after he was knocked down by a car next to Techniven. In 2013, the second-born, Thanyani, was shot dead and killed in broad daylight at Makwarela. The third brother, Lufuno, was shot and killed last month, and the family was still mourning his death when the youngest was killed on Tuesday.

The owner of a security company and a gun expert, who happened to be at the scene of Tuesday’s incident, said that the killers were not ordinary criminals but highly trained professionals who shot with precision.

Thohoyandou police spokesperson Major Mashudu Malelo confirmed the incident, but said it was still very early to link it to the other two shootings that had taken place in the family. “Yes, a man who was driving a Mazda bakkie was shot dead at an intersection in Thohoyandou Block G. The man was shot several times in the body and the head with a high-calibre R5 rifle and spent cartridges were found at the scene. We have opened a murder case, but at this stage no arrests have been made.”

The police have appealed to anybody with information regarding the incident to contact them.

Date:15 May 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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