Life at Muledane outside Thohoyandou on Monday came to a standstill, following the discovery of a body with some of its parts missing.
The body found at the local sports ground was later identified as that of Mr Kenneth Mukhari (32). His body was discovered by a passerby who alerted the community. Mukhari, who went missing on Saturday, was found with multiple wounds and his lips, ears and nose were missing.
The discovery of the mutilated body has raised fears that an organized syndicate dealing in body parts is operating in the area. Residents say other unexplainable deaths occurred in the village which they believe are the work of this syndicate.
A fortnight ago, this paper ran a report of a young man who survived a carefully planned ritual murder hatched against him. The 21-year-old Andani Thovhakale of Maniini was on his way home from Muledane when a bakkie stopped next to him and he was forced to board it. Instead of taking him home, it turned towards Tswinga and, on hearing them whispering they were going to kill him, he decided to throw himself from the bakkie and sustained serious injuries, but he was fortunate enough to escape with his life.
The latest murder has become a thorn in the side of the family of the slain man and the community. Hundreds of angry residents braved the heavy rain and could not hide their anger, saying they would hunt for the killers until they found them. The local headmen, who were also at the scene, condemned the killing saying it was barbaric.
Headman Roderick Tshivhi said they were perturbed by the increasing crime in the area. "We have a duty as a community to see to it that crime disappears in our community. We have to sit down and devise means to stop this scourge," he said.
The deceased's sister, Ms Joyce Mukhari, said her brother had left home on Saturday after telling them that he was going to watch a soccer game at the local ground. "He never came back and on the same day we heard of a trail of blood leading to bushes next to our home. It was only this morning that we received information that our brother was found murdered at the sports field."
She added that what they saw was shocking as his body had been mutilated and that it took a lot of courage to look at the body. "His nose, lips and ears were cut off in the cruelest manner. This is ritual murder at its worst." According to Ms Mukhari, the murderers killed a very quiet man who wouldn't even hurt a fly.
Local civic leader Mr Fhambanani Mmbobo said residents were angry and that they were busy making arrangements for a legal march to the local Thohoyandou police station, where they would hand over a memorandum of their grievances.
Meanwhile, angry residents blockaded the inner streets in the village and the main road from Shayandima Industrial site to Thohoyandou with burning rubble and other barricades. They were protesting about the police's inability to stop the killings in the village.
At the time of our going to press, the area was still tense but quiet. Limpopo police spokesperson Brig Motlafela Mojapelo said they had launched a manhunt for the suspects involved in the brutal killing. He confirmed that the body had multiple stab wounds, with the nose, lips and both ears missing. "Our preliminary investigations revealed that the deceased might have been killed somewhere else and dumped at this scene. The motive behind this killing is not known, but we cannot rule out the possibility of ritual murder," he added.
Anyone with information about the suspects can phone Lt-Col William Ramokhubedu at 082 499 8389 or the nearest police station or the crime-stop number 0860010111 or the crime line SMS 32211. The investigation into the killing continues.