The family of the late Victor Maluleke from Madombidzha, whose body was exhumed by the police after he was allegedly killed by five members of the Western Vhukovhela security unit, could finally give him a dignified burial, thanks to some of the local businesspeople and community members who helped them with the funeral costs.
Maluleke went missing in July last year. His body, along with that of a woman from the area who had also gone missing, was found in January this year at Gogobole and Rathidili (Tshikhwani), in the Sinthumule area, in shallow graves.
The Maluleke family had been waiting for the DNA test results for seven months. These were finally released on 17 July, but the family could not afford to bury him until now. Mr Reuben Mosefuwa, Mr Godfrey Phathela, and Mr Eric Ramurembiwa were among the donors who assisted the family with the funeral costs. The funeral service was held at Tshikhwani (Rathidili) on Saturday, 19 August.
The deceased's sister, Ms Salphina Maluleke, thanked the donors for their generous assistance. "We would like to thank everybody who stepped up to lend us a hand in our time of greatest need. Our wish is that whoever was involved in my brother's death should face the full might of the law and pay for their sins," she said.
Judge Joseph Raulinga, who also attended the funeral, warned communities not to take the law into their own hands but to hand criminals over to the police, so that they can be tried in a court of law. "If a crime is committed, the community should call the police and let the officers do their jobs. People should take into consideration that taking the law into their own hands is a downright criminal offence," he said.