Bad luck seems to follow this traditional leader time and again. Over a period of two years his house has been attacked three times, two times by unknown assailants and most recently by a known woman.
This is the painful ordeal Chief Dzumbuluwani Tshivhase of Mandala village outside Thohoyandou has been going through.
In 2013 he surprised arsonists who petrol-bombed his house. Luckily he managed to extinguish the flames and the assailants ran to a nearby mountain. They have not been traced since. Later that year, his homestead was completely gutted by unknown arsonists.
As if that was not enough, last Wednesday a person, alleged to be a known arsonist, burnt down his five rooms in broad daylight. This is one of two fire incidents to have happened in adjacent villages. In an unrelated incident, a headman was found dead in his burnt-out house at Shanzha.
Tshivhase said the torching of his house happened when he was away visiting bereaved relatives at Mukumbane. "I came back home later in the afternoon to find that my houses were on fire. I saw a woman, whom I identified from a previous visit at my palace. She was still busy making more fires in the yard, but upon seeing me she left and I sought help from neighbours. We could not save the situation as the fire had spread to the whole house."
He added that they could only manage to stop the fire from completely destroying his bedroom. "I am very saddened. I can't tell as to why, out of all places, she picked on my house," he said. Tshivhase said the damage caused is estimated at more than R200 000. "I am a strong-willed person and I have accepted and put everything to God," he added.
Local civic leader Mulatedzi Siphuma said they were disheartened that their chief had lost all in the fire. Traditional leader Neckson Shavhani said the incidents had left them in shock. "We heard about the two incidents, especially this one where headman Reuben Mushiana was found dead in his burnt house. We sent people to the house and we summoned the police."
Ward 27 Thulamela municipal councillor Livhuwani Maduse said they were shocked about the incidents.