A dark cloud is hanging over the village of Tshino outside Vuwani, following a horrifying incident in which an elderly man, who had just retired from his job at Water Services in Vhembe, was found brutally murdered in his home.
The pensioner, 63-year-old Willy Razwisani Nesengani, reportedly lived alone after losing his partner a few weeks ago. He was last seen alive on Wednesday, 23 April, in Tshino Mukondeleli. From what could be established, he disappeared shortly afterwards and was not seen again.
Community leader Mr Alex Ndou said a family member, the brother of the deceased, had tried calling him but had received no response. "Being concerned, he went to the deceased's home on Friday, 25 April, where he made the grisly discovery. The door was slightly open, and the deceased was lying in a pool of blood, his throat cut with a pair of scissors," he said.
According to Ndou, the incident is one of the most brutal and shocking the village has experienced. A suspect has since been arrested.
"The village is boiling and would like to see justice in this case. We suspect the incident was motivated by greed. The suspect was very close to the late pensioner, who trusted him with his money. They were always together, and he would also send him to withdraw money," he said.
Ndou said the old man's bank cards were missing. "Ironically, the suspect, who is on parole and unemployed, has been splashing cash since the old man went missing. This is when the community started suspecting him," he said.
The suspect allegedly attended a community meeting where he implicated two other individuals. "The two were hauled before the community, but one of them, who is a foreign national, managed to break loose and is still on the run," Ndou said. He added that they suspected the old man's nephew and his accomplices were behind the murder.
"After the nephew's arrest, he tried to conceal evidence, sending an SMS to a family member requesting that some bloodstained clothing be burnt. After learning of this, we, together with the police, went to the suspect's house, where a bloodstained work suit was found. The community is very angry and has vowed the suspects will not return to the village, even if they are released on bail," he said.
Vhembe police spokesperson Const Pfunzo Ramudzuli confirmed the incident, saying a murder charge had been opened. "The victim was found lying on the floor with blood all over his face and had a cut on his throat," she said. She confirmed that the victim was discovered by his brother, Jim Nesengani. "The murder weapon was found at the scene. Police conducted a tracing operation and apprehended two suspects who were positively linked to the murder on Sunday, 27 April," she said.
The suspects, Mashudu Khwalu and Davhana Masindi, appeared in the Vuwani Magistrate's Court on Tuesday, 29 April. Their case was postponed to 8 May for further investigation.