The murder case of a 25-year-old man from Tshino in the Vuwani area has taken a dramatic turn after three members of the local SANCO branch were arrested in connection with his death.
The victim, identified as Gumani Lordwick Mironga, was found dead by his sister on Sunday, 29 June, at around 10:00. According to reports received, he had previously been accused of withholding a neighbour's house keys, and community leaders had allegedly been looking for him.
Vhembe SAPS spokesperson W/O Vuledzani Dathi confirmed that a murder case had been opened. "We were alerted to the scene and found the man unresponsive. Emergency services declared him dead on arrival," he said. Preliminary investigations revealed injury marks on the body.
Following further investigation, the Vuwani police arrested three suspects on Thursday, 3 July: Ambani Matumba, Mpho "Bricks" Rakgogo and Bishop Tshishonga, all members of SANCO's Nesengani branch. The suspects, aged between 38 and 48, first appeared in court on Friday, 4 July. Their case was postponed to Monday, 7 July, for profiling and a possible bail application.
On Monday, the case took a new turn when hundreds of residents marched to the Vuwani Magistrate's Court, demanding the release of the accused. The demonstrators claimed the three were innocent and had been framed.
"These men were arrested for nothing," said community leader Mr Alex Ndou. "We have information that the deceased was assaulted by a group of men in a bakkie who were demanding a phone and a stolen speaker. Our men actually rescued him. Some people are trying to discredit us because of the good work we're doing in the community. We know the truth will come out in court."
The case has been postponed to 11 July for a formal bail application.