Post-mortem must say if man's death was murder or suicide?

The family of a 31-year-old soccer star, Morricheal Mudau, said they were left with many unanswered questions after the body of their son was found in the bushes in Vondwe village. Mudau was found not far from his home village, Mbahe Tshilatshe, where he stayed with his mother.

According to the deceased’s brother-in-law, Mr Nnditsheni Matsheketsheke, Mudau went missing on Monday, 12 February and was found three weeks later, on Wednesday, 28 February.

“When he left home on Monday, nobody saw him because his mother was at the hospital for check-ups. He did not tell anyone where he was going. We were surprised when he didn't come home. He always slept at home. That was when we suspected something was wrong. We went into his room, and we found his phone without a sim card.” Matsheketsheke said they reported him as missing, and the community started to search for him.

“We searched the forests of Mbahe, Mukula, and Vondwe, with no luck. After a few weeks, I received a call from home telling me that two cow herders had found a body in the Vondwe forest. As a family, we are confused because we searched in that forest, and we did not find him. We are now waiting for a post-mortem that will tell us if he was murdered or if he had committed suicide,” said Matsheketsheke.

When Mudau was found, the body was already badly decomposed. “We are not sure if his face was burned or decomposed, but it was beyond recognition, and police asked us to first perform a DNA test before we could bury him. We received the results on Monday, 11 March, and we are busy arranging for a funeral that will take place on Thursday, 14 March,” he said.

Matsheketsheke said he would want people to remember his brother-in-law as someone who had loved playing soccer and making music.

Vhembe police spokesperson W/O Vuledzani Dathi, said the family had received the deceased’s body on Monday after DNA results had come back positive.

“An inquest case docket has been registered at Thohoyandou SAPS, pending the post-mortem results. Anyone who can assist the police with any information regarding the case can contact the investigating officer, Sergeant Makhuvha, at 082 469 1397,” Dathi added.

Date:14 March 2024

By: Maanda Bele

Maanda  Bele, born and raised in Nzhelele Siloam, studied journalism at the Tshwane University of Technology.

He is passionate about current news and international affairs.

He worked as part of the Zoutnet team as an intern in 2017.

He is currently a freelance journalist specialising in news from the Vhembe district.

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