Violence claims another life

Mystery surrounds the discovery of a body stuffed under a bridge between Shayandima and Itsani. The body of a man in his thirties was found under the small bridge that connects Shayandima to Itsani last Friday morning.

Details of how the man was killed are still sketchy, but rumours doing the rounds in Itsani are that the man was a “victim of circumstances”.

It is alleged that three drunken men were fighting among themselves, when the unknown man tried to stop them from fighting. The men allegedly turned their anger on him and, according to the rumour, they attacked him with blunt objects.

News of the body under the bridge spread to all the surrounding villages and within a short space of time, the area was swarming with onlookers. Even though the area was cordoned off and people could not see the body, residents endured the hot weather and waited patiently until the police finished gathering evidence at the scene and the body was taken away.

Residents said the area had become very notorious, with not a week passing without a person being mugged or robbed at the bridge.

“Just last weekend, we heard the cries of a man who was being attacked during the early hours of the morning. The man said there were people who were killing him, but when I came out of the house, the assailants were gone,” said Takkie Madia, who stays not far from the crime spot. Some in the community have indicated that there should be floodlights in the area.

“This area is very dark at night. It is not safe to cross this bridge at night as one is likely going to be attacked. We need high mast lights here. When there is light, criminals will be scared,” said Mr Ailwei Lithole, a civic leader at Shayandima.

Lithole added that acts of crime are on the increase in the area and that everyone in the community needed to be involved in the fight against crime. “We have to strengthen our CPF structures and we will be able to take the fight back to the criminals,” he said.

He said he would raise the issue of floodlights during the forthcoming community meeting. Thohoyandou police spokesperson Major Mashudu Malelo said that they had arrested three suspects aged 22, 25, and 27 in connection with the incident. “They will appear in court soon and our investigations are continuing,” added Malelo.

Date:27 September 2013

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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