Son accused of killing dad with panga

The people of the Ha-Mutsha community are still battling to come to terms with the past week's events when a well-known teacher was killed and his wife badly injured. The couple were allegedly attacked by their son, following an argument on Monday morning.

Mr Harry Mudau (59), better known as "Touch" Mudau, was a teacher at Gwamasenga High. He died on the scene, while his wife was admitted to the Tshilidzini Hospital where she was treated. She was discharged on Tuesday.

According to the spokesperson for the Levubu police, W/O Solly Mukhola, the 21-year-old son of the deceased allegedly argued with his father on the day of the incident. The son allegedly told his father to leave the house and refused to obey the father. He allegedly later grabbed a panga and started chasing his father out of the house. It is alleged that his father tripped and fell in the yard outside and the young man hacked him with the panga. When the mother tried to intervene, she was also hacked with the panga.

W/O Mukhola confirmed that a murder case was opened. "We managed to arrest the 21-year-old suspect and have charged him with murder and attempted murder. Our investigations are still continuing," said Mukhola. “We are pleading with families who are experiencing problems to visit pastors, counsellors and social workers and not to try to solve their problems on their own," he said. Mukhola condemned the continuous family tragedies which have caused so much sadness in the community the past few months.

On Tuesday, Limpopo Mirror paid the family a visit at Ha-Mutsha. The mood was sombre, with relatives of the deceased in visible grief. The brother of the deceased, Mr John Mudau, said the incident had shocked the family. "I am saddened and I am in a state of shock. I do not have any idea as to what could have happened," he said.

The chairperson of Munna Ndi Nnyi, Mr Badwell Mufunwaini, voiced his concern about the continuing onslaught on people. He openly condemned the brutal murder. According to him, the community is suffering from a scourge of crime.

The principal of Gwamasenga High, Mr Aifheli Dombo, said the incident had left many learners traumatised and it would take a long time and specialised counselling for them to recover fully. "We are able to cope with the situation because of your support, and we really appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts," he told pastor Maxwell Masakona, who visited the school on Tuesday to support learners and teachers. Mr Dombo described Mudau as a hard worker and good teacher who was loved by all the learners at the school. He said that as a school they had lost a pillar who had obtained a 100% pass rate in Grade 12 English every year.

Mudau will be buried tomorrow at Ha-Mutsha. He leaves behind his wife and three children.

The suspect appeared in the Vuwani Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.

Date:11 April 2014

By: Kaizer Nengovhela

Kaizer Nengovhela started writing stories for Limpopo Mirror in 2000. Prior to that he had a five year stint at Phala-Phala FM as sports presenter. In 2005 Kaizer received an award from the province's premier as Best Sports Presenter. The same year he was also nominated as Best Sports Reporter by the Makhado Municipality. Kaizer was awarded the Mathatha Tsedu award in 2014.

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