The discovery of a human skeleton and clothing matching the ones worn by the missing Naledzani Makhado from Vyeboom, in Vuwani, brought an end to the family's hopes of ever finding her alive.
The 52-year-old Makhado had been missing for two years. She left her boyfriend's place at Hamangilasi on 10 September 2021 and was supposed to have reported for duty at the Kurhuleni Clinic, where she worked as a counsellor, that same afternoon. However, she never showed up for work. Her family and the police searched everywhere, but she could not be found. Still, they never gave up hope that they would find her alive.
A cattle herder from the neighbouring Dzwerani village, who was trying to rescue one of his cows that had fallen into a donga, made the gruesome discovery near the Luvuvhu River on Monday, 11 September. The discovery of the clothing and the skull crushed all the family's hopes. They were left with nothing but her remains and a bag of clothes that once belonged to their loved one.
The acting spokesperson for the Vhembe SAPS, W/O Vuledzani Dathi, confirmed the findings and said the matter was being investigated by the Vuwani police.
Makhado's brother, Mr Muhali Ndou, said these findings had come as a terrible blow to the family. "We had all along held on to the hope that she would be found alive and be able to tell us what had happened all these years, but that is not to be. We positively identified her through a small handbag and items of clothing, which were corroborated by her colleague. We are very confident that it is her skeleton, but we have to wait for another month for the DNA results. The police have taken a specimen from one of my sister's children, and once again, we must go through the pain of waiting. What else can we do? This is a formality that has to be followed," he said.
Ndou made a plea to the police to put all their efforts into catching his sister's killers. "It is now a sure murder case, and our wish as a family is that her killers be brought to book and answer for their heinous deeds. Maybe this will finally give us closure, so we can move on with our lives. The police have all the cellphone records and her last conversations, which should make it easier to arrest the culprit," said Ndou.