Was it ritual murder?

Communities in and around the Ha-Rammbuda tribal authority outside Mutale said they were fed-up with ongoing cases of people who went missing and were later discovered dead. In several cases, they said, the bodies were found with some body parts missing, and suspicions are rife that the victims might have been ritually murdered.

In the latest case, villagers in the rural mountainous village of Luheni-Mapuloni near Tshixwadza in the Ha-Rammbuda area are upset after the discovery of the decomposed body of Mr Zwidofhela Isaac Ramarumo.

Ramarumo (48), a local subsistence local farmer in Luheni-Mapuloni village, went missing on 12 June and several unsuccessful searches took place. His body was discovered on Sunday afternoon (28 July) in a local veld called Mapuloni-Tshamaswiswi by young herd boys who were fetching cattle.

A community leader in Luheni-Mapuloni village, Mr Munyadziwa Thagamega, said Zwidofhela was found hanged with his jersey. However, the people found it strange that his body was found in a place where they had previously launched a thorough search.

“We are worried that although, he was in a decomposed state, his left hand was not found attached to the body. We suspect that he was murdered for ritual purposes and those who killed him later hanged him with his jersey,” he said.

He said angry community members went on the rampage and decided to block the road from Tshixwadza to Thovhele Ratshibvumo II Rammbuda’s kraal on Sunday evening. “Thovhele Rammbuda met with us on Monday morning and said that he wanted the matter to be resolved quickly.”

Thagamega said the communities in Ha-Rammbuda were also worried because there were more than 10 cases of missing people – some of whom were never found, while others were found dead. At this stage, no arrests have been made, notwithstanding the fact that they had provided the names of the suspects to the police at Mutale.

A spokesperson for the Ramarumo family, Mr Matodzi Ramarumo, said the family was saddened by the discovery the body of a valuable family member, who had loved his family.

Limpopo police spokesperson Col Moatshe Ngoepe also confirmed that the police are investigating a murder case after the discovery of the man’s body. He warned the communities, however, that they must not jump to conclusions that the person was ritually murdered. He said that the cause of death would be determined by the outcome of an autopsy.

Ngoepe urged the communities to come forward with information to the police, which they will investigate. Anyone found guilty will face the might of the law, he added.

Date:05 August 2019

By: Silas Nduvheni

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