Man arrested following death of his wife

A 34-year-old resident of Gogobole, Abraham Siphungu, appeared in the Thohoyandou Magistrate's Court on Monday in connection with the death of his wife, Nomsa (37). She was allegedly hacked to death with a sharp objedct at Mphaila last Friday.

Siloam SAPS spokesperson W/O Edward Tharaga confirmed the incident and said the suspect had accused the victim of having an affair with another man. It is alleged that he then produced a sharp object and started hacking her indiscriminately. The deceased sustained serious head injuries and her left hand was totally cut off. Her right hand was also broken and she had multiple wounds in the face and on her head. "She died at the scene," Tharaga said

“It seems that the accused had dragged the deceased out of the house and pulled her along the grass to throw her down in the bush to conceal the evidence,” said Tharaga. He said that Siphugu had allegedly confessed to killing Nomsa in her house last Friday night. Her blood-soaked clothes were found in the room which he had shared with the deceased.

He confirmed that a case of murder was opened against Siphugu, following his arrest. “He appeared in the Thohoyandou Magistrate's court on Monday and he will appear again on the 26th,” he said. “Bail was not granted.”

The deceased’s sister and the four children she had left behind are traumatised, following the senseless killing of their loved one. “I feel distraught,” said the deceased’s eldest sister, Ms Bridget Manemu. The family went along with the community members who had brought the news, to see for themselves what had happened.

She said that the way the woman had died had affected the whole family. "We are worried and still traumatised about the incident. We were greatly saddened about her death," she said. She added that her sister had been healthy. "I was with her last Wednesday, the day before she was found dead. It really pains me a lot," said Manemu.

 The chairperson of the Munna Nndinyi men’s organisation, Mr Bardwell Mufunwaini, said "that the horrible incident is very painful. People should break the silence and share their problems with either close family members or community leaders. We also advise those with family problems to contact us as we have highly trained nurses, psychologists and social workers. It is important to seek professional assistance rather than resorting to violent actions like ending the lives of poor, innocent children,” said Mufunwaini.

A spokesperson for the Tshilwavhusiku Police had confirmed that before last Friday's events, the accused was on the run after he had allegedly participated in a housebreaking at Tshilwavhusiku, theft of a motor vehicle as well as poaching and housebreaking in the Makhado area.

News - Date: 12 October 2015

Kaizer Nengovhela

Kaizer Nengovhela started writing stories for Limpopo Mirror in 2000. Prior to that he had a five year stint at Phala-Phala FM as sports presenter. In 2005 Kaizer received an award from the province's premier as Best Sports Presenter. The same year he was also nominated as Best Sports Reporter by the Makhado Municipality. Kaizer was awarded the Mathatha Tsedu award in 2014.

Email: [email protected]