Hamanenzhe village was rocked by a tragic incident of gender-based violence early on Saturday, 6 December, when a jilted lover shot his ex-girlfriend before taking his own life.
The 29-year-old victim, identified as Ms Mashudu Tshibalo, was ambushed on her way home from a local tavern and left seriously injured. The suspect, identified as Malakia Ndou, then fled to his home in Muswodi, where he committed suicide by shooting himself.
According to sources close to the situation, the couple had been experiencing difficulties for some time. One source, who asked to remain anonymous, said Ndou had waited for Tshibalo to leave the tavern before shooting her. "What we learnt is that they quarrelled and they broke up. On the night before the incident, he was seen highly intoxicated at Folovhodwe and the next morning we learnt about the sad news," the source said.
Vhamusanda Vho Mmbangiseni Nefolovhodwe, the local traditional leader at Folovhodwe, said the incident had come as a shock. "We heard the couple were having problems but never thought it would go this far. We are very saddened as leaders as we had hoped this would be resolved. We urge all couples having problems to seek professional help. Government is providing free platforms for this, and if they choose to, they can seek help from pastors and non-governmental organisations," he said.
Vhembe SAPS spokesperson W/O Vuledzani Dathi confirmed that the police were investigating an attempted murder case. "Police were about to complete their night shift duty when they were alerted to the shooting incident. On arrival at the scene, the victim had already been taken to the local clinic for medical treatment," he said.
At the clinic, the police spoke to the victim's mother, who said she had received a phone call from Ndou claiming he had killed her daughter - unaware that she had survived. The firearm and one empty cartridge were found next to Ndou at his Muswodi home.
Tshibalo remains bedridden and in pain. When contacted, she said: "I am now feeling better but cannot speak to you now as I am going to theatre. I will be able to speak to you only on Friday."
The incident has added to a worrying number of gender-based violence cases, coming just days after the launch of the 16 Days of Activism campaign.