The community of Hamangilasi Mabangani, outside Vuwani, is living in fear of criminals. This follows an incident where a local man was found stabbed to death on a busy street in the village.
The incident, in which the 28-year-old Nyadzani Brian Mauvhelwana was fatally stabbed, happened early Saturday morning.
The deceased man's mother, Ms Rose Mauvhelwana, said she was awakened by a local woman at around 03:00, who informed her that her son was lying injured next to her house. "I quickly woke up and rushed to the scene, where I found people trying to resuscitate him. He was lying in a pool of blood but, sadly, he passed on," she said.
She described her son as a peace-loving person who would not even hurt a fly. He depended on piece jobs and would often hang out with others drinking beers at local shebeens. "I wonder what he did wrong that people decided to kill him," she said.
Community leader Mr Alex Ndou said the community was living in fear. "Our area is no longer safe. There are many criminal elements roaming the streets here. In this incident, we are not sure of what had happened, but the nature of the injuries shows that the attacker wanted him dead," he said.
Ndou said that the community members planned on having a meeting on 18 August to discuss the rising levels of crime and other pressing matters. He added that the Mauvhelwana family was one of the poorest in the area and would struggle to cover the cost of Saturday's funeral.
Limpopo police spokesperson Col Malesela Ledwaba urged anyone with information related to the incident to come forward and contact Det-Sgt Ndidzulafhi Mulaudzi on 076 939 9199, the Crime Stop number 08600 10111, or use the MySAPSApp.