Unknown robber commits suicide

Communities around Thohoyandou Units E and G extension, formerly known as Ha-Magidi village, are rejoicing after the news that an unknown thug, who used to terrorize them, shot and killed himself.

A villager in Thohoyandou Unit E, who doesn’t want to be named, said that she saw somebody at her house on Monday morning, attempting to rob it. According to her, the person was also holding a rifle. She shouted "Vimba, Vimba" and community members came in large numbers to assist.

A community leader and an eyewitness who lives in Thohoyandou Unit E, Mr Thifhelimbilu Liphadzi, said that early on Monday morning he heard somebody shouting and went to investigate. “We then found out that three people were running for their lives. One managed to escape unharmed, while another was attacked by angry residents and was then arrested by the police. The third person shot and killed himself,” said Liphadzi.

He called upon the communities to come out in larger numbers if someone is calling for help, “so that we can save the lives of our innocent community members.” He also urged the municipalities to build accessible roads, “that will help us to apprehend the suspects when they are robbing the communities. We have a tough message for the thugs: they will have no place to hide, because as community members we help each other,” said Liphadzi.

The spokesperson for the police in the Thohoyandou cluster, Major Mashudu Malelo, said that they had opened an inquest docket. “The suspect is still unknown at the moment, and we were able to recover the firearm that he used when he shot and killed himself. One suspect will be charged with theft as he was in possession of a woman’s bag. The other suspect is still at large,” said Malelo.

Two months ago, angry residents from Magidi and surrounding areas had running battles with the police, after the police rescued a suspect believed to be part of a gang that was terrorizing the community. The thug, whom the police rescued then, had been traced to Mpumalanga, where the community organized that he be brought back to Thohoyandou.  The suspect was allegedly linked to many cases of robbery and theft and was in the process of pointing out stolen property at Makwarela when the police rescued him from the angry mob. Incidents of this nature, where communities have taken the law into their own hands, have become a daily occurrence in Vhembe communities.

Date:22 January 2016

By: Silas Nduvheni

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