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The badly injured and bleeding Tshilidzi Masindi.

Wanted fugitive meets the People’s wrath

 

Manowa mahulwane a tshi todou fa a da vhathuni literally means that when the big snakes want to die, they come from the deep, dense bushes to the open area. The same proved to be true for a wanted fugitive who recently escaped from the Thohoyandou Magistrate Court's holding cells.

A fortnight ago, Tshilidzi Masindi, who was facing charges of murder, and rape he had allegedly committed in prison, escaped from the court building while wearing a police uniform. Since then, the police were hunting for him high and low but with no success.

On Saturday morning, he came out of his hiding place and allegedly tried to rape two women near the Mvudi River, not far from Thohoyandou. That was his worst mistake. His attempt was futile and he ended up being beaten severely by angry morning communters who came to the rescue of the two women.

The scene resembled a slaughterhouse with blood all over after the fierce beating. The timely arrival of the police saved the day when they had to fight angry community members who wanted to finish off the man. He was then naked and bleeding profusely.

Within a short space of time, the area was swarming with early morning commuters and traffic came to a complete standstill, with the suspect sprawled on the tarmac. Ambulance personnel arrived and administered first aid on the spot and later took the man away to the hospital.

Kutama Nemulodi (29) of Muledane told Limpopo Mirror that she was walking home alone from work at around 06:00 when the man confronted her and asked whether she had met two men going in the opposite direction.“I told the man, who was holding a beer bottle, that I had not met them. Instead of going away, he asked for a phone to phone his mother, but I told him that I did not have one,” she said.

She said he then broke the bottle and threatened her with it. "I tried running away, but I tripped and fell, which gave him the chance to overpower me."

Nemulodi said she was so shocked when the man ordered her to go with him to the nearest bush, but he changed his mind on the way and said they should take another direction. "I asked him to take whatever he wanted from me but to spare my life. He then said he only wanted to rape me and that I should cooperate," she said.

She added that while she was going with him, another woman came along who was also alone. He allegedly also threatened her with the bottle and ordered the two of them into the bush. “While there, I managed to free myself and left him with the other girl while I was calling for help from passersby,” Nemulodi added.

She said that the man only fled after realizing that people were after him. “I feel so lucky. While the whole thing was happening, I was praying to God, asking Him why this was happening to me. I am releieved that neither of us was raped, but we suffered cuts from the broken bottle,” she said.

"The man was so vicious and he would certainly have raped us both, had there been no other people,” she said.

The other victim, Thembeni Mathebula of Maungani, said it was just luck that she managed to free herself from the rapist. "I was just helpless but told myself that if I gave up, he would end up raping me. I prayed that God would rescue me and power came onto me and I wrestled with him until I freed myself," she said.

Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi confirmed the recapturing of the wanted fugtive. The man will be facing charges of escaping, murder, rape, attempted rape and robbery.

Fugitive Tshilidzi Masindi was recaptured.

Victim Kutama Nemulodi, who says God saved her life.

Victim Thembeni Mathebula with the stiches she received after allegedly being stabbed with a broken beer bottle.

 

Date:22 August 2014

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.

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