At this time, when ritual murderers in the Vhembe District seem to have halted their nefarious activities that have been notoriously impacting on the region since 2006, a young man from Tshivhulani outside Thohoyandou nearly met his death when an attempt was allegedly made to ritually murder him.
Mr Rendani Ranwaha (34), a well-known long-distance taxi driver, said he had just returned with his load of mourners from a funeral in Vosloorus in Gauteng on Sunday morning when he received a call from his girlfriend, telling him she was on her way. After she arrived, they took a load of avocados and mangoes to a nearby bus stop to sell them.
"We spent the whole day together, and after finishing everything, we decided to go to Vhufuli, where she stays. The Sibasa-Vhufuli road had many taxis, but she did not want us to use them, until a Quantum with two men and a woman arrived. We boarded this one and I did not suspect anything and was drinking along the way," he said.
He added that after a short distance, he asked the driver to stop as nature called. "I left my drink with my girlfriend, and I suspect this is the time she spiked my drink as I passed out after drinking what was left in the bottle," he said.
He added that he woke up and found himself still in the vehicle, but it was in bushes next to a river at Ngudza. He said his girlfriend was nowhere to be seen and only he and the two guys and a woman, who was telling him not to worry, were there.
He said that the men told him to his face they were going to ritually murder him. "Realizing I was in danger, I prayed that God would help me, and I regained strength and overpowered the attackers. Then I ran to the nearest road, where a car stopped and took me home."
He said that he had no doubt the whole thing had been planned by his girlfriend. "She was nowhere to be seen during my ordeal, and since then she has not called me. I remember one day when her mother said I should replace her father in a burial society scheme, which meant they planned to cash in on my death. I have learnt a lesson the hard way. I will never, ever trust a woman again," said Ranwaha.
He added that he was still in shock and surprised as to how he had managed to overpower his assailants. He said he had not reported her as her plan had failed and that he was just happy to be alive. He said he left everything in the hands of God, who would mete out the perfect punishment for her.