Killed by hired assassin?

The fatal shooting of a man at Lwamondo Mathule on Sunday afternoon has sent shockwaves through the area.

Mr Funzani Mutovholwa’s murder near a local bottle store has raised many questions about the mushrooming trend of hired assassins who identify their targets and kill them at will in the Vhembe area. In the space of a month, three people have been killed execution style in broad daylight and this has left the community shocked and insecure.

In the latest incident, which happened on Sunday, a local man at Lwamondo Mathule was gunned down by two men while standing by the road just opposite the local tavern. The killers sped off in an unmarked Toyota Quantum after the killing.

Witnesses to the killing, who preferred anonymity, said they were drinking at the lapa of the tavern when a Quantum emerged from the direction of Tshifulanani Stadium with two occupants inside.

"We were having a good time, enjoying our drinks some time after four in the afternoon, when we suddenly heard the sound of gunfire from the other side the road. It must have been more than five shots and we saw a man wearing a balaclava and a long jacket, with a gun in hand, moving back to a vehicle that was parked there. It was then that we realized that a man had been shot just at the roadside.”

He added that the alleged killer, in the company of the driver, had sped off after the shooting. The witness further indicated that they saw a bleeding man lying in the road. Emergency personnel were summoned, but they certified the victim dead at the scene.

The news of the shooting spread like wildfire and hundreds of curious people from all over the villages swarmed to the scene, while some of the revelers continued with their drinking as if nothing had happened; others surrounded the cordoned-off scene.

Limpopo police spokesperson Col Moatshe Ngoepe confirmed the incident, saying it happened at about 16:30. He said that the victim had been identified as a local resident, the 32-year-old Mr Funzani Mutovholwa. He said the man had been found shot dead in the street next to Lwamondo Bottle Store.

"We have opened a murder case in respect of the incident. At this stage, the identity of the suspect is still unknown and there is no arrest yet. Investigations are continuing," said Ngoepe.

Date:27 August 2018

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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