Murdered man's family want closure

Almost six months have passed since a local Tshimbupfe Hanani man was brutally murdered, but his family is yet to receive his remains for burial.

On the night of 3 to 4 April this year, a group descended on the house of Mr Emmanuel Mulaudzi, killed him, and took his body to nearby bushes, where it was burnt to ashes.

The motive behind his murder remains a mystery, but a rumour circulating in the village suggests that he was killed to silence him as he had information about another murder that had occurred earlier in the village.

Two suspects, Ndivhuwo (34) and Khakhathi Munarini (44), have been arrested for his murder. They have already appeared in the Vuwani Magistrate's Court four times, with their most recent appearance on Monday, 30 September. Their case was postponed to 14 November for further investigation.

During Monday’s appearance, a large number of community members marched to the court and handed over a memorandum of their grievances. Outside the court, the murdered man’s sister, Ms. Livhuwani Mulaudzi, said her brother had been killed in the most brutal way. “His head, hands, and legs were cut off. What remained after the brutal murder is only ashes. We have waited far too long for the DNA results, so that we can bury him and let his soul rest in peace,” she said.

Mulaudzi complained that they were fighting an uphill battle. “We have given the police all the information, but still, the suspects are roaming the streets. With so many postponements and the dragging of feet by officers, anything can happen in this case. All we want is a speedy resolution of this case. It has put a lot of strain on the family, and we need closure,” she said.

The chairperson of the local Community Policing Forum, Mr Thomas Mabulele, said they had attended the court proceedings to support the family and out of concern for how the case was being handled. He expressed particular concern about the slow pace in arresting four other suspects.

“The inexplicable delay in the release of the post-mortem report is also a matter of concern because it adds more trauma to the affected family and the community,” he said.

Date:04 October 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. He currently writes on a freelance basis, covering human rights issues, court news and entertainment.

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