Doctor’s degree for Luthern cleric

Dean Alunamutwe Randitsheni (50), a prominent voice against ritual murders in the Vhembe Region, achieved one of his most cherished dreams on Friday, when the University of Venda conferred a PhD in African studies on him.

Randitsheni is head of the Devhula Leboa Circuit of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and also chairperson of the South African Council of Churches in Vhembe. 

Touched by the pain and suffering of victims of ritual murders and their families, Randitsheni embarked on research aimed at ending the scourge.

He was one of the 500 students who received qualifications in different disciplines during the graduation ceremony held at the university auditorium. A record number of 15 doctorates were conferred by the university’s chancellor and former deputy president, Mr Kgalema Mothlanthe.

Randitsheni’s thesis: An investigation into ritual murders in the Vhembe District of the Limpopo Province of South Africa involved in-depth interviews with stakeholders and family members of victims of muti murders. “The killing of innocent people has left many families without breadwinners, some with only children left to fend for themselves after their parents were killed. The aim of the research was to find out the root causes of the killings, the people behind the killings and how this could be stopped."

He added that the research established that those involved believed the body parts would boost their power base and authority, increase support of members in organizations, attract wealth and increase socio-economic status in the community. Randitsheni said those involved in such practices included traditional healers, traditional leaders, religious leaders, political leaders and businesspeople, among others.

“The findings will be of help to the community as we have come up with proposals and a training manual that will help educate people to change their values, attitudes and practices regarding ritual murders. The manual is also envisaged to be used in other countries in challenging ritual murder practices,” he said.

Date:25 September 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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