A night out for drinks and fun ended in tragedy when a man allegedly interfered in a fight between his sister and her boyfriend, resulting in the boyfriend's death.
The incident, which has left the community of Mapate outside Thohoyandou in shock, happened at Mapate Block 4 in the early hours of Tuesday, 17 June. The deceased, identified as Mr Fhatuwani Sididzha (29) from Lwamondo, reportedly stayed with his girlfriend in Mapate.
Community leader Mr Mbulaheni Makhado said he was alerted to the scene on Tuesday morning and, on arrival, found the body at the gate of a local shebeen.
"The deceased's mother was standing there, very grief-stricken, and there was fire next to the body," he said. According to Makhado, the deceased and his girlfriend were apparently involved in a fight at the shebeen, where the girlfriend's brother was also present. During the altercation, Fhatuwani Sididzha was allegedly struck on the neck with a wooden log, causing him to lose consciousness.
"Those present when the incident happened tried summoning the police and ambulance, but they did not arrive. We do not know what led to the fight, but what we know is that the deceased was a good man who relied on piece jobs. He never gave us any problem," he said.
Vhembe SAPS spokesperson W/O Vuledzani Dathi confirmed that after a manhunt had been launched to trace the siblings, they eventually handed themselves over to the police.
"We have since opened a murder case. The suspect, Mr Shudufhadzo Mandiwana (21), handed himself to police after being on the run for a few days. He was charged with murder. His sister also made a statement but was not arrested. Mandiwana will appear in the local magistrate's court in due course," he said.