Body of slain woman found at boyfriend's home

A 38-year-old resident of Muduluni village in the Kutama area was allegedly hacked to death with a panga by her boyfriend after a quarrel on Sunday night (28^th).

When Ms Elsie Mulea (38) from Maebane left her home to visit her boyfriend at his house in Muduluni, her family never suspected that they would not see her alive again.

According to the deceased’s older sister, Lizzy Mulea, the couple had a history of quarrelling. She said that her sister had laid a complaint of assault against her boyfriend in 2019 after he had allegedly hit her. The couple were, however, apparently reconciled shortly afterwards and Elsie went back to court to withdraw the complaint.

When Mulea did not show up on Monday morning, Lizzy tried to phone her, but her phone was off. Mulea’s 17-year-old daughter, Musiiwa, then arrived at the house with the bad news.

Musiiwa reported that she had also tried to phone her mother on Monday morning but could not get hold of her. She then went to her mother’s boyfriend’s house, which is situated not far from Mulea’s own house. She knocked on the door, but no-one answered. She tried to open the door, but it was locked. She then detected a blood smell coming from the house and started to scream for help. Neighbours called the police, who found Mulea’s body on the inside by the door. She was dead and the boyfriend was nowhere in sight.

The spokesperson for the police, Brig Motlafela Mojapelo, confirmed the incident. “We suspect that the incident might have happened on Sunday night. When we were called, we discovered Mulea´s body inside her boyfriend´s house. There was a panga lying next to her,” he said.

He said that the suspect, who is believed to be her boyfriend, is still at large. “A case of murder was opened, and investigations are still underway to determine what had really happened,” said Mojapelo.

The community members of Muduluni and family members of the deceased are still traumatized by the incident. “The way she died left us heartbroken. We still cannot believe it,” Lizzy said.

The chairperson of the Munnda Ndinnyi Men’s Forum, Mr Bardwell Mufunwaini, said that whoever had killed Mulea was not a real man. “Real men do not kill or rape their women; they give them comfort and security. Let us all shout out in one voice against the abuse and cruelty perpetrated against our womenfolk, and this country will be a better place to live in,” he proclaimed.

Many killings of this nature have been reported in the Vhembe area. Mojapelo said that the police were directing an earnest plea to couples who might be experiencing marital or relationship problems to consult a therapist or social worker for counselling, rather than resorting to killing each other.

The police requested Mr Leonard Mofo, also known as Rasta, to come forward as they believe that he might have information that can assist with the investigation.

Date:01 April 2021

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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