Man goes berserk and chops off brother’s head

In one of the most bizarre and horrific attacks to have happened in Vhembe, a 38-year-old man allegedly decapitated his brother and severely injured his sister and her daughter. The shocking incident took place at Tshidimbini village outside Thohoyandou on Monday, 13 May, at about 06:00 in the morning.

Neighbours confirmed hearing a commotion and screams at the house in the early hours of Monday. They rushed to the scene, where they found the dead man, his injured sister, and her 10-year-old daughter. The woman and her daughter were rushed to the local clinic and later transferred to Donald Fraser Hospital.

The deceased was identified as Doctor (his name) Matshili, and the injured sister was identified as Mulweli.

A local community leader, Vho Khotsimunene Avhakholwi Tshivhase, said that early on Monday morning, he had received more than 15 calls from concerned community members informing him about the gruesome incident.

“I rushed there. What I saw was disturbing. The suspect was there, and not far from him was the decapitated head of his brother. We summoned the police, who responded swiftly. On entering the house, we found the beheaded, bloodied body of his brother in bed. Next to the body was a big hammer, a spade with blood, and a big panga. Blood was all over, even spattered on the walls,” he said.

Tshivhase said he had heard that the sister had been trying to intervene when she and her daughter had been attacked. “We have not witnessed something like this in this area. This is still a very big shock to us as we know the boys were inseparable and the best of friends. They grew up before my eyes, and I personally know them. I heard they even attended church together on Sunday, but then this happens. This is surprising. I am just happy that when I visited the injured at the hospital, I found them in a much-improved state, and they could also speak. The mother had a wound on the head, while the girl had a wound on the back. As protocol, we have reported the incident to the leader of the Tshivhase Kingdom, Mailausumbwa Kennedy Tshivhase, who expressed outrage and shock about the incident. He pledged to support the family to overcome the ordeal,” Vho Khotsimunene Tshivhase said.

Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba confirmed the incident. “Police on duty received a distress call from concerned residents, and upon arrival at the scene, they saw a human head at the gate. On entering the house, they found the decapitated body of a 41-year-old man, tied with a rope. It was also established that a 32-year-old woman, who is the suspect’s sister, and her 10-year-old daughter were also attacked and seriously injured and had already been taken to the local hospital. The 38-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene in connection with the gruesome incident. At the scene, we further seized items that included a hammer, spade, and knife believed to have been used to commit the crimes. We have since opened a case of murder and two counts of attempted murder. The motive behind the incident is still unknown, but domestic violence cannot be ruled out. The suspect will soon appear in the Thohoyandou Magistrate’s Court,” he said.

Doctor Matshili will be buried on Saturday at the local cemetery. “Such senseless brutality has no place in our society, and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms. We assure everyone affected that justice will be served,” concluded Lt-Gen Hadebe.

Information filtering through from the area indicates that the siblings stayed together after the death of their mother. Their father is said to have remarried after their mother’s death and stayed at another house with his new wife. The suspect had complained that his siblings were bewitching him.

Date:17 May 2024

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

Read: 2365