A Grade 11 pupil of Matavhela Secondary School outside Mutale is in police custody after being charged with the murder of another pupil, whom he allegedly stabbed to death with a knife.
Gundo Ndou (19) from Ngalavhani Village appeared in the Mutale Magistrate's Court on Tuesday on a charge of murder. According to the police, it is alleged that he had stabbed another learner, Lutendo Thiba (21), to death after an argument over a girlfriend. The deceased was repeating Grade 12. The incident took place at about 18:00 on Good Friday.
Ndou was not asked to plead when he appeared in court and the case was postponed to 28 April for further investigations. He remains in custody.
The spokesperson for the police at Mutale, W/O Tshilidzi Nnyambeni, confirmed the incident and said that they were investigating an incident in which a learner had been stabbed to death. It took place in the Tshindola Recreation Park, situated at the nearby village of Mafukani, Nnyambeni said.
He added that it was alleged that the suspect had gone to the park on Good Friday to have fun with friends. Things turned nasty, however, when a heated argument over a girlfriend took place.
According to Nnyambeni, the deceased was stabbed in the groin during the argument. He was rushed to the clinic at Matavhela and certified dead on arrival.
A spokesperson for the family of Lutendo, Mr Joseph Thiba, said the family was in still in a state of shock and without words after the tragedy. He added that they had been wondering about Lutendo's whereabouts, because he had not come back home like he usually did. Dr Naledzani Rasila, spokesperson for the Department of Education, strongly condemned the incident and said that it was sad to lose a future leader. "We condemn all the violence, because it has a negative effect on our learners. We believe that the law will deal with the case efficiently."
The deceased will be buried at the Mafukani village graveyard tomorrow (Saturday).