The Thohoyandou police are investigating a case of murder, following the death of a man after he was allegedly hit over the head during a brawl at a local tavern last weekend.
According to the family spokesperson, Archy Dalana from Shayandima Zone 7, the victim, Iyani Dalana (37), was drinking at the local Tshikorokoroni tavern on Saturday night. At around midnight, he apparently got into a fight with another man. Iyani's younger brother, Misiyothe Dalana, ran home and called their sister, Ndinani, saying that Iyani was being beaten up at the tavern, so she went to the tavern to find out what was happening.
"Ndinani said she couldn't see anybody when she arrived at the tavern and decided to go to the Shayandima clinic, where she found Iyani. He was being attended to by the nurses, but he was in a critical condition, so they transferred him to the Tshilidzini Hospital. We were told that Iyani was hit over the head with an unknown object. He developed severe swelling from the head injury and died on Monday (16 January)," said Archy, the older brother of the deceased.
Acting Vhembe SAPS spokesperson Sgt Vuledzani Dathi confirmed the incident. He said that a case of attempted murder had initially been opened but changed to murder when the victim died. At the time of our going to press, no-one had been arrested yet.
Archy said that the family members were greatly saddened by his brother's untimely death and hoped that the suspect would be brought to book soon. He described Iyani as an ever-smiling, hardworking person. "He was the breadwinner for his family as a truck owner; a down-to-earth man who showed respect for everybody around him. He was always helping the Shayandima communities with deliveries and was progressing in his job," he said.
Iyani is survived by his wife, Ms Thelma Dalana, and two children. He will be buried on Saturday, 21 January, at the Tshino graveyard near Vuwani. The funeral service starts at 05:30 in the morning at his house in Shayandima.