Man kills wife before committing suicide

The community of Tshinganwe in Tshakhuma is still shocked, following the discovery of a husband and wife who were found dead inside their house on Thursday morning last week.

It is alleged that the deceased, Mr Tshinanne Ndou (45) and Ndinannyi Ndou (28), were seen arguing during the day on 13 May. They allegedly sent the wife's 12-year-old daughter away on an errand. The child returned to find that the doors were locked and then decided to use another outside room for the night.

The neighbours realised the following morning that there were no signs of life in the neighbours' yard. They then remembered that the couple had been arguing the previous day at around 15:00. The couple's relatives were called, who came and broke down the doors.

According to the spokesperson for the Levubu police, W/O Solly Mukhola, the wife was found lying in a pool of blood on the floor. The husband was lying dead on the edge of the bed. Police found some bottles of methylated spirits and tablets next to the man.

“We are investigating the possibility of suicide in the case of the man's death, and so we have opened an inquest as a result,” Mukhola said. “We have also opened a case of murder, following the death of the woman who was found inside the house.”

Mukhola said that they suspected domestic violence might have led to the couple's deaths. “However, that suspicion cannot be taken as a fact at this stage,” he said. “As the police, we will hold a campaign against domestic violence soon, where we will invite all structures in the community to participate.”

The director of Munna Ndi Nnyi, Mr Bardwell Mufunwaini, said that they felt ashamed as an organisation for men when men still acted in this fashion of killing and feeling that women were their property. He said that many men were failing to have healthy relationships because they just met women in the street and married them the following day.

“People must stop uttering statements which destroy other people's marriages,” he said. “The sad part about this case is that there's a 12-year-old daughter of the woman who was killed. She has no traceable relatives. Tell us now, what is this all about? Is this case the true reflection of our society?”

Mufunwaini said that it was everyone's responsibility to foster peace and good relation in their homes and within the communities. “We are tired of murders, suicides and all other kind of crimes,” he said.

Date:22 May 2015

By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

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