The family of the murdered Prophet Lucky Mashudu Mudau of Tshakhuma say they have had no peace since his murder a year ago and are praying day and night for closure in the case.
Mudau, who led the Jesus Flock Prophetic Church at Tshikonelo, was stabbed to death on 30 April last year at the Tshakhuma Bottle Store where he worked while trying to stop a fight between a colleague and a customer.
After the incident, the suspect, Clorence Mulaudzi, accompanied by his brother, who is a well-known businessman, handed himself over to the police. He appeared in the Vuwani Magistrate's Court and was granted R10 000 bail.
Mulaudzi appeared again in the same court this Tuesday, 25 April, where his case was once more postponed to 19 May for a High Court date.
The deceased's elder brother, Mr Mukhethwa Emmanuel Mudau, says the continuous postponement of the case is causing the family a lot of heartache. "My brother was a God-fearing man, very honest and a prophet who was helping so many people. The incident happened in full view of other people and the man who killed him confessed. All the evidence is there, and yet nothing is happening. It has been almost a year now, and the case is still dragging on. We suspect that there is tampering with this case. The investigating officer has forsaken us and is not communicating with us. We as a family deserve to be updated, but that is not happening either. We just want it over and done with, so that we can find closure," he sa.
During his appearance on Tuesday, members of the Jesus Flock Prophetic Church, now led by Pastor Azwitamisi Thanyani, were also present in court to voice their dissatisfaction about the lack of progress in the case. "We are here to support the Mudau family, and we are here to see to it that justice is served. We are not happy with the way the case is being handled. Why is this case taking so long with all the evidence at hand? Prophet Mudau was the pillar of our church who helped so many people. All we want is to see justice served and that the killer is punished," Thanyani said.