The police in Mutale are investigating a murder case after a 49-year-old man was shot and killed in Mianzwi village near Tshiombo. The incident occurred on Saturday, 8 March, at about 19:30.
Vhembe SAPS spokesperson W/O Vuledzani Dathi said the victim, Siphuma Khathutshelo Rammbuda, had been at home with his wife, Takalani, and their 12-year-old son.
The wife was cooking in the kitchen when she heard someone calling her husband from outside. When she stepped out, she encountered a man, who introduced himself as Justice and claimed he had been drinking with Rammbuda the previous night. It was already dark, and load-shedding made it difficult to recognise people.
Dathi said the wife went back inside to inform her husband about the visitor. Rammbuda responded that he did not know anyone by that name and had not been drinking the night before. After some time, he stepped outside to speak to the man.
"The wife followed him out, and while there, the suspect said, 'Things are hard.' The deceased asked what was hard, but the suspect did not respond. That's when the victim's wife returned to the kitchen to continue cooking," Dathi said.
Moments later, she heard two loud bangs outside. She called out to her husband, but there was no response. Rushing outside, she found him kneeling, bleeding from the head, while the suspect fled, shouting insults and firing another shot into the air.
Neighbours arrived, but Rammbuda had suffered a severe head wound and was unable to speak. Police found one empty bullet cartridge at the scene, along with two bullet marks on the wall near the main entrance.
The victim's uncle, Nkhelebeni Nndwambi, said the family was in shock. He described Rammbuda as a self-employed builder who earned a living from piece jobs.
"We are no longer safe in our villages because crime is so high. We hope police investigations will help catch the suspect. No one deserves to be killed like this. We must fight crime together to make our villages safe again," Nndwambi said.