The community of Dopeni has been hit hard by three sudden deaths in three consecutive weeks, leaving the residents wondering what is happening in their village.
On the morning of Tuesday, 15 November, Thabelo Muladi's body was found in the street by passers-by. She and her boyfriend, Luvhengo Muthuhavhonali, were allegedly fighting the night before and he had supposedly pushed her. She allegedly fell and hit her head on a rock, which caused her death.
Muthuhavhonali fled the scene, and nobody knew his whereabouts until his body was found in Phiphidi village, nearly 20 kilometres from Dopeni, on Saturday, 19 November – the same day Muladi was buried. The cause of his death is still not known. The police in Siloam confirmed that they had opened inquests for both cases while police investigations continue.
On Sunday, 27 November, the village experienced another painful shock when 21-year-old photographer Murendeni Ralinala was stabbed to death by two men on his way home from a local tavern in Dopeni. The police confirmed the incident.
"One suspect was arrested that same day. He appeared in the Dzanani Magistrate's Court on Monday (28 November) and the case was postponed to the 7th of December. He remains in custody. A second suspect handed himself over to the Siloam police on Tuesday afternoon and will appear in court soon," said Makhado police spokesperson Sergeant Tshifhiwa Radzilani.
Ralinala's close friend, who was with him at the time of the incident, went on Facebook and wrote (translated from Venda): "My friend, I didn't want us to go out, but I had to agree because I couldn't let you go alone. I thought we would return together. That guy hurt my feelings. I tried my best, you saw. So, it was really your last day. My heart is broken." In another post he wrote: "He tried calling my name and I tried to help."
The secretary of Dopeni SANCO, Mr Phathutshedzo Richard Mukhaninga, said, "What is happening in our village is heart-breaking. Not a weekend goes by without us burying someone. Something needs to be done to restore peace in our lovely village. As community leaders, we want to sit with the police and other stakeholders and try to find a solution here. It is even more painful that young people are the ones who are dying."