The circumstances under which the body of a 30-year-old woman was found next to the road at Thohoyandou Unit D, a suburb near Thohoyandou Block G's clinic, have led to the suspicion that an unresolved feud between the deceased and her long-time lover could be the reason behind her death.
The body of the woman, identified as Azwimmbavhi Mercy Tshisudi from Tshakhuma village, was found on Sunday, 17 September.
Acting SAPS spokesperson in the Vhembe region Sgt Vuledzani Dathi confirmed that a murder case is being investigated by the Thohoyandou police. Dathi said that the police had received a call from the Thohoyandou Emergency Medical Services (EMS), informing them about a dead person lying next to the road. "When we arrived at the scene, the deceased was lying on her back, with her hands folded on her stomach. There was a note with the name of [a] male person and two cellphone numbers written on it. The note was found under the deceased's folded hands. She had strangulation marks around her neck and it is suspected that she might have been dumped at the scene after she was killed somewhere else, as there were no struggling marks around the crime scene," Dathi said.
A male person is being questioned by the police in connection with the murder.
Tshisudi's older sister, Ms Mpfariseni Tshisudi, said the family members were still in shock, following the gruesome discovery. She said Tshisudi had last been seen on Friday (16 September) in Tshakhuma village. According to Mpfariseni, her sister went to her long-time lover's house in Malamulele town to get all her belongings. The two had apparently had a fight.
According to Mpfariseni, her sister used to complain about how she and the boyfriend were always quarrelling. Tshisudi had been living with the man for over seven years and was apparently about to walk out of the relationship.
"After she had left Tshakhuma on Friday, no-one saw her again. We were called by the police on Sunday and told that there was an unknown woman in the government mortuary. We were able to identify her by the tattoo on her left hand," said Mpfariseni.
Tshisudi will be buried at her home village of Tshakhuma on Sunday, 25 September.