Three years later, mother still battles to accept son's death

Life has not been the same for Gogo Tshinakaho Mudau since her son, Azwifaneli Mudau, died on Valentine’s Day three years ago. Azwifaneli was killed at the gate of his house in Makwarela Extension 3 in 2019, shortly after he had gone out to get bread and pocket money for his children.

Four suspects were arrested in connection with the murder, including Mudau's wife, Winnie Ntanganedzeni Nemaranzhe, who had allegedly arranged the killing.

Standing in an empty room, Gogo Mudau explained how her daughter in law, who is now in custody for killing her son, apparently took all the furniture from the house that she (Gogo Mudau) had bought with her own pensioner’s grant. “She even took a water tank that we used to store water in,” she said. “This woman is heartless and evil, and I cannot even bear the sight of her. I am just glad that my son’s (alleged) killers were not granted bail, because they are dangerous. The family faced threats from them before the arrests, and we were so concerned that, if they were to be granted bail, we would not be safe.”

The four suspects were denied bail by the Thohoyandou Magistrate’s Court in Limpopo on Thursday (18 March) and the case was postponed to 14 May for further investigations.

“My wish is for them to be jailed for life,” a teary-eyed Gogo Mudau said. “They are inhumane and must be locked up for the rest of their lives.”

Gogo Mudau has only her meagre pensioner’s grant to survive on now, as Azwifaneli used to be the one who provided for her. “He never disappointed me as he provided all the luxuries of life one could wish for. I was never in want, until that fateful day when they mercilessly killed him,” she said.

Gogo Mudau recalled how she had raised her son as a single parent. “Life had not been so easy. His father passed away many years ago. I had to raise him as a single mother,” she said. “All along I prayed that God would guide and help him become a provider for the family. When he started his business, I was there to lend him a helping hand, and I was very happy to see him succeed.”

Date:27 March 2021

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.

Read: 1362