Young Gundo Mamatho buried at Gondeni

The use of firearms and watching of violent movies on TV by children came under the spotlight during the funeral service of Vhembe boy Gundo Mamatho (12), a Grade 5 pupil at Maniini Primary School.

The funeral, attended by fellow pupils in their school uniforms and a large number of people from all walks of life, took place on Friday afternoon. Gundo is of royal blood and was buried at the family's sacred burial grounds at Gondeni.

Gundo was on his way home from school with friends a fortnight ago when one of their friends allegedly told them he wanted to show them something at his home. In an incident at the friend's home, Gundu was shot and killed.The firearm has been sent for ballistic and forensic testing and the ownership and origin of the gun has not been established so far.

Speaking at the funeral, Tshifhe Mboneni Nevhutalu, a well-known person in religious circles in Vhembe, called upon parents not to buy their children guns as toys, saying they would develop a liking for real guns. “This will have a negative impact on the minds of the children. They might want to use a real gun, and watching violent movies might make them not fear death and they could kill at a very young age,” he said.

Thulamela ANC subregion chairperson Mr Mushoni Tshifhango urged community members to be vigilant against crime, saying crime was making life unstable and also hampered development in the country. He condemned the death of the boy, saying it was senseless. “We are losing leaders of tomorrow through negligence. Please let us unite against this scourge of crime and this country will be a better place to live in,” he said.

Family spokesperson Mr Tshifhiwa Mmbooi said the family had more questions than answers. “We have accepted his death, but the way he was killed leaves us with many questions. We are devastated as a family,” he said.

He thanked the community for its support.

Date:01 February 2016

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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