The community of Davhana Balanganani, outside Vuwani in the Collins Chabane Municipality, is reeling with shock over the death of one of the Davhana royal family members, Mr Vuwani Ndwamato Nesengani. The fifty-three-year-old Nesengani was ambushed while busy refuelling his truck at his home in the village on Saturday, 8 July, and shot three times in the stomach by an unknown assailant.
Family members rushed him to Tshilidzini Hospital, where he remained in critical condition since the incident, but he succumbed to his injuries on Friday, 21 July.
Speculations in the village suggest that the shooting could have been motivated by an unresolved issue around an alleged illegal circumcision school in the area. The circumcision school was applied for by the Nngwekhulu traditional authority but set up in an area under the Davhana jurisdiction. This problem was escalated to higher offices in the province, including the Premier's office, but was never resolved. The reason behind Nesengani's assassination could be that he was too vocal about the circumcision school issue.
A source close to the family, who did not want to be identified, said: "This is very disturbing. We are no longer safe if people are followed and attacked even at their homes. We had hoped he would pull through and recover. We believe this has to do with the dispute over permission to host the initiation school. Owners of circumcision schools make a lot of money, with each family paying no less than R1,500. Given the proliferation of gangsters in our area, we are of the view that an assassin was hired from one of the groups in and around the greater Vhembe District Municipality to silence him," the source said.
Vhembe SAPS' acting spokesperson, Sergeant Vuledzani Dathi, confirmed the incident and said that a case of attempted murder had initially been opened. When the victim passed away, the charge was immediately amended to murder. "Investigations are continuing, and a manhunt for the killer is underway," said Dathi.