A cloud of sadness still hangs over the Nhlavulani vilage after a 17-year-old girl, Suprise Nkuna, was allegedly stabbed and killed last Friday.
The deceased was a Grade 11 pupil at Mukula Secondary School. Her mother, Ms Elizabeth Mabasa, said that the family were battling to cope with the loss. "It is really painful. She was still young and did not deserve to die like that," she said. "I want to see justice done. Nkuna was very focused on education, and I expected her to complete her studies, so that she could help the family."
The girl was stabbed several times when a suspect broke a window and entered the house where she was staying with her younger sister and brother.
The principal of Mukula High, Mr Edward Kharidzha, said she was a bright pupil who always worked hard at school. "This came as a shock to us. Nkuna never quarrelled with anyone and she easily associated herself with people."
The spokesperson for the police, Lt Col Ngotshe Ngoepe, said that the incident occurred at about midnight. "We were alerted by members of the community about the incident, and when we arrived at the scene, Nkuna was lying dead on the ground," he said.
He added that the police had subsequently opened a case of murder. "Our investigations are still continuing. We also managed to arrest a suspect the next day."
The suspect, Tshedza Tshikovhi (22), appeared briefly in the Giyani Magistrate's Court on Monday and the case was postponed to 9 December for further investigations. Nkuna will be laid to rest at Nhlavulani cemetery tomorrow (Saturday).