Sombre mood in Mulamula after school boy gets stabbed to death

A sombre mood shrouded the village of Mulamula near Dumela and Photani Secondary School just outside Malamulele after the tragic death of a learner who was stabbed to death last Thursday. The incident happened during a cultural event held at Mahlefunye Primary School’s sports grounds near Photani Secondary.

Limpopo police spokesperson Colonel Malesela Ledwaba said that preliminary reports indicated that an altercation had broken out between the victim, 15-year-old Innocent Mchavi from Mulamula Village, and a learner from another school. During this confrontation, the suspect produced a knife and fatally stabbed Mchavi before fleeing. Despite immediate medical attention, the learner tragically succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

Ledwaba mentioned that the motive behind this violent incident remained under investigation by the police, who are currently conducting further inquiries to establish all circumstances that led up to this harrowing event.

Ms Rirhandzu Mthombeni, the mother of the deceased, said that her son was a grade 10 learner at Photani Secondary. When Limpopo Mirror visited the family at their home in Mulamula, she was still very traumatised by the death of her son. She said that she had been expecting a bright future for him, and his death had left a void that would be difficult to fill.

Mthombeni described the deceased, her young boy, as a well-disciplined child who had been hardworking and had always prioritised his education over playing with other boys in the rural village of Mulamula. “It is very disturbing to lose a child in such a brutal way. Innocent has died, and I nearly fainted when I heard that he had been stabbed to death. I can’t understand why that cruel boy killed my child. They don’t even stay together in the same village as the suspect is from another village, Dumela. According to the information I got from eyewitnesses, the two never quarrelled before. The suspect developed a hatred for my child out of nowhere,” said Mthombeni.

She mentioned that a delegation from the suspect's family had come to her on Sunday, 3 March, to ask for forgiveness, but she had not responded yet as she was still heartbroken. Mthombeni added that Innocent would be buried on Saturday, 9 March, in Mulamula village, with a memorial service to be held on Wednesday, 6 March.

Mr Justice Mashaba, the chairperson of Photani Secondary School’s governing body (SGB), said that, as a school, they were working with the family to arrange for a proper funeral for Innocent.

A 17-year-old suspect was questioned in connection with the incident and was supposed to appear in the Malamulele Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 4 March. This, however, did not happen and the police in Malamulele said investigations were still ongoing.

Date:08 March 2024

By: Silas Nduvheni

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