The murder case against Mugivhela Netshimbupfe, who stood accused of killing Rudzani Munyai at a local tavern earlier this year, was struck off the roll by the Thohoyandou Magistrate's Court on Friday, 12 August 2022.
Netshimbupfe (35), a resident at Itsani, was arrested in March this year, after he had allegedly stabbed Munyai in full view of onlookers at a tavern in Itsani, outside Thohoyandou, on 26 February. She was buried on 5 March.
According to witnesses, Netshimbupfe was a close friend of Munyai's husband. His charge was struck off the roll because the post-mortem results of the deceased could not be provided.
Speaking outside the court after Netshimbupfe was released, the deceased's mother, Ms Sarah Munyai, was close to tears and expressed her utmost disappointment at the justice system. "This is very painful to us. This man killed my daughter in cold blood and in full view of other people, and he is let loose. We are frightened and distressed," she cried.
"The death of my daughter has caused a lot of heartache, especially to her two children who are now without a mother. Our only hope that this man would be severely punished for taking the life of our beloved daughter is shattered. They set this killer free! We know the law in this country is on the side of those who have money. We are a very poor family and we cannot even afford a lawyer to help us in this. We are very appreciative of the SANCO Thulamela sub-region, who has taken our plight seriously and are pursuing the case. As a family, we will not rest until justice is served," she said.
The general secretary of SANCO in Thulamela, Mr Ben Phosiwa, said that they had met the mother of the deceased crying outside the court by chance. "Upon enquiry, we realised she had a serious problem and we tried to reason with court officials here and there, who told us they could not keep the suspect in the cells when the post-mortem results were not forthcoming. We will engage other stakeholders, like Thovhele Vho-Thivhulawi Makumbane and the local civic at Itsani, and hope that the suspect gets taken back to the cells. The community is not safe when he is out, and if our plight is not heard, a rolling mass action will follow," he said.