Lucky Makonyololo (34) of Thengwe village appeared in the Mutale Magistrate's Court last Wednesday (30 April) on a charge of murder. He is accused of stabbing his estranged wife to death in a jealous rage after reportedly finding her with another man.
Makonyololo appeared in a packed courtroom. He was not asked to plead and was remanded in custody until his next court appearance, scheduled for 2 June. The victim was 38-year-old Ms Vhutshilo Nefuranyele of Thengwe-Mutangula.
The incident occurred at around 01:50 on Sunday, 27 April. According to the acting spokesperson for the Vhembe SAPS, W/O Vuledzani Dathi, the police responded to a call and found the body of a woman lying in the street in the Mutale area. She had sustained two stab wounds to the forehead and was found in a pool of blood.
The suspect allegedly returned home and discovered his wife in bed with another man. "When they realised that they were caught, both ran away," said Dathi. The woman is believed to have returned later, at which point she was allegedly confronted and stabbed in the street by her husband.
Nefuranyele was buried on Thursday, 1 May, during an emotional funeral at the Thengwe village cemetery. Speaker after speaker condemned all forms of abuse against women and children.
Before Makonyololo's court appearance, members of the community marched to the court, calling for him to be denied bail. "We want the suspect to rot in jail. He doesn't deserve to stay with us here in [the] communities. We don't want abusive men to continue killing women and children," said Khodani Mudanalwo, a community leader from Thengwe village.