The family of murdered Vhembe TVET College lecturer Jimmy Mukwevho cannot bury him. More than three years after he was killed, his body has never been found — and his convicted killers have refused to say where it is.
The Thohoyandou High Court, sitting at Waterval Magistrate's Court on Friday, sentenced Thinandavha Mathisa and Lucas Mukhadi to life imprisonment for the murder of Mukwevho. A third accused, Gugani Malele, was acquitted after being found not guilty.
The court sentenced the two convicted men as follows: Count 1 (murder) — life imprisonment; Count 2 (robbery with aggravating circumstances) — five years; Count 3 (kidnapping) — five years; and Count 4 (defeating the ends of justice) — three years. Sentences on counts 2, 3 and 4 will run concurrently.
Family spokesperson Zacharia Mukwebo said the family welcomed the judgment but remained deeply traumatised as they were still unable to bury their loved one.
“We were unable to bury my little brother because the suspects refused to disclose where the body is,” said Mukwebo.
He described the actions of the convicted men as dehumanising and said they showed no remorse despite several opportunities to cooperate with authorities.
“We welcome the sentence, but we are still deeply hurt because we cannot bury him and give him a dignified burial,” he added.
Mukwevho, a lecturer at the college's Mavhoi Campus, was hijacked and kidnapped in January 2023 from his home village of Ha-Mandiwana in the Nzhelele area.
A breakthrough came after his Nissan NP200 and clothing were traced to Ha-Mashau village, more than 120 kilometres from his home, leading to the arrest of three accused. Malele, a woman from the area, was among those arrested but was subsequently acquitted after the court found the evidence against her insufficient for conviction.
Mathisa and Mukhadi admitted to killing Mukwevho and dumping his body in the Luvuvhu River near the Levubu farms. His body has still not been recovered.
The case sparked community outrage, resulting in protests and temporary shutdowns of services in the village.
During court proceedings, the social worker told the court she could not complete a pre-sentencing report as some accused initially refused to cooperate. Mukhadi later agreed to an interview, while Mathisa continued to refuse, and the report could not be finalised in time.
The court heard the convicted men were previously given an opportunity to provide information about the location of the body on 15 April at Matatshe, but failed to do so. Mukhadi later admitted involvement.
The State asked the court to proceed without the report, arguing that evidence should be considered individually.
Evidence showed Mukwevho's Nissan NP200 was sold for R7,000, with no clarity on how the proceeds were shared.