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Part of the crowd that had gathered at the scene of the murder.

Who are the killers?

 

The community of Muledane outside Thohoyandou is overwhelmed with grief and in shock, following yet another gruesome murder in the village.

In the latest incident a Zimbabwean citizen, Bernard Chirahiro, was attacked with stones, bottles and pieces of wood before his body was set alight. The murder has left residents with questions as to who is behind the killings.

Residents claim that, in the past few months,a number of people had been attacked and some were maimed by these faceless killers. Some had their belongings taken during the attacks.

On Sunday evening, the 24-year-old Chirahiro was apparently enjoying cold beers with friends at a local tavern. Unbeknown to him, the angel of death was hovering over him, waiting for an opportune moment to take him away. The next morning his burnt body was found in a pool of blood in a street not far from the pub. The spot where the body was found is notorious for muggings and robberies and residents are now accusing the taverns that close late of promoting the ever-increasing crime in the area.

It is believed the deceased was first attacked at the tavern with bottles and bricks. Bloodstains could be seen at the entrance. His attackers might have followed him to the road where he was killed.

This is not the first gruesome murder at the village and it is raising suspicions about the prevalence of robber gangs in the area. Just last week the decomposed body of a 26-year-old man was found not far from the clinic gate. The man had been missing for a week after telling family members he was going to drink at the local tavern. He was not seen again until the discovery of his body.

The recent incident has struck fear into the hearts of the community. The deceased’s uncle, Ephraim Dhemba, positively identified the body while it was still lying in a pool of blood, surrounded by bricks and broken bottles. Dhemba said he had last seen him at a local tavern at about 19:00 where he had been drinking with friends. “He was in a happy mood as he was (returning) from his piece job. I suspect he had money from his job. I left, not knowing that I will never see him alive again. I heard about a burnt body this morning, and when I arrived here I was so shocked to find that it was him. His death saddened me a lot as he was a good man who worked and earned an honest living. He provided for his family back home in Zimbabwe. All we hope for is that police will hunt down the killers and that they be answerable for their bad deeds,” he said.

Well-known man of God Bishop Sam Tshabuse of the Hope of Nations Ministries was also at the scene and he condemned the killing. “Crime is becoming a plague in our community. Just last week we were burying another young man who was also a victim of crime. We are appealing to our people, especially the youth, to be responsible. We are also calling on all stakeholders to work together for an end to this scourge,” he said.

Ward 18 Thulamela councillor Tshitereke Nelushi also arrived at the scene and said that crime had become a great concern in the area. “Day in and day out we hear of killings, robberies and other violent crimes. It is upon us as residents to stand up and rally against the scourge of crime. As leadership we are planning to have a meeting that would include all structures that would chart a way forward of combating crime,” he said.

Thohoyandou police spokesperson Constable Avhafarei Tshiovhe confirmed the incident, saying that they had opened a murder docket. “We are following leads and hopefully we will soon have a breakthrough in the case. We are also appealing to those with information to come forth,” she said.

Bloodstains and bricks at the tavern where the attack is alleged to have started.

The burnt body of a man who was found in the road in Muledane.

 

Date:17 September 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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