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Ms Rosina Thidziambi Tshamano, believed to be in her late 80s, was found lying in a pool of blood whilst music was playing loudly last Tuesday night, after her son had allegedly beaten and stabbed her and left her for dead.
Her relatives and neighbours tried to come to her rescue and she was transferred to Siloam Hospital. She died on Thursday morning, however, as a result of all the blood she had lost.
The 43-year-old suspect, Nnditsheni Mafenya, shocked the entire community of Mauluma in Nzhelele when he allegedly beat and stabbed his mother and left her for dead. The suspect is described by some family members as a notorious criminal. They say he had terrorised not only them for many years but also other members of the community.
Last Tuesday evening, before the incident, Mafenya apparently went to the local bottle store in his village and bought people cases of beer. He allegedly took one beer from each case and gave the remaining beers to the people to drink. He apparently told those people that he was going to host his own bash at his home.
When he arrived at his home, he then allegedly switched on the radio and turned the volume up high, so that neighbours couldn’t hear what he was doing. The cruel bash began inside the house where his mother was asleep. He allegedly beat his mother with heavy sticks and stabbed her and left her in a pool of blood. He vanished for the following two days.
The Mphephu police searched for him until they found him at his spouse's abode in Manieni last Friday. He briefly appeared in the Dzanani Magistrate's Court on Monday for a formal bail application, but he was remanded in custody and he will appear again next month (June 03).
According to a family member, Mrs Linnet Itani, the gruesome death of her elder sister left a huge void in the family. “It is devastating. I don’t understand why he committed that cruel deed. We were living in fear until he was arrested,” she said.
She said she was called whilst she was in Gauteng and informed by her young sister that Mafenya was allegedly killing his mother. “When he is sober, he is all right, but when he is drunk he might quarrel with anyone and sometimes start fighting over nothing,” she added.
Mafenya was previously arrested for beating up his mother, but when he was released from custody, his mother forgave him and allowed him to stay with her again. He had also been arrested before for stabbing a community member. According to his family, he committed several criminal activities back in the 90s and he was released, following an amnesty granted by the then president, Nelson Mandela, in 1994.
Ms Rosina Tshamano will be laid to rest tomorrow (Saturday) morning in the village’s local cemetery.
The Ward 38 councillor, Cllr Thambatshira Neluvhola, condemned the incident and called on communities in his ward to ensure the safety of the elders in the community. He said it should be addressed in the community meeting and elders should not be allowed to stay alone since it leaves them vulnerable to criminal activities.
“These people are our custodians. They should be protected and the traditional leaders must address this challenge in the community meetings,” he said.
Date:30 May 2014
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