The situation remained tense at Tswinga over the weekend, after the burial of a pupil suspected to have been ritually murdered in the village.

Angry mourners returning from the funeral at Tswinga on Saturday took to the streets and left a trail of destruction in their wake.

Avhashoni Mbedzi (18), a Grade 11 pupil at Muvhavha Secondary School, was found dead hanging at some nearby bushes, not far from his home, after having been missing for six days. After the body was found by a herder, rumours started doing the rounds in the village, with members of the community alleging that he was ritually murdered.

Community members started pointing fingers at a local businessman and a traditional healer, whom they blamed for the boy's death.

The boy was buried, together with two other people, in the village on Saturday. Signs of tension showed towards the end of the funerals, when a pastor was stopped halfway through her sermon by angry members of the community. The master of ceremonies, a member of the local civic structure, was booed by angry pupils as he tried to address them about the situation in the village. He was also manhandled and had to seek medical treatment.

The angry community members met at the local sports field and proceeded to the chief's residence, where the civic leader announced his resignation from all the structures in the village.

Roads were blockaded with big stones and burning tyres, and the police had their hands full to contain the crowds. Groups then went after different targets and, after a runaround with the police, two houses and a spaza shop were completely gutted by fire. An RDP house belonging to a traditional healer was also attacked.

Meanwhile, the local traditional leader, Chief Mmbangiseni Tshishonga, called for calm and urged residents to cooperate with the police. "We are not happy about the prevailing situation in the village and as leaders we cannot just sit down as our village is burning. We will talk with all the structures in the village first and look into this problem,” he added.

Thohoyandou police spokesperson Maj Mashudu Malelo said they had opened an inquest docket, following the death of the boy. "After learning of the situation in the village, we dispatched our members to the area. We are busy patrolling the area and the situation is now under control,” he added.

According to Malelo, the police have arrested 19 people in connection with public violence. He said three people, including two police officers, were injured during the upheaval. Two police vehicles had their windscreens damaged during incidents of stone throwing.

Those arrested appeared in court and their case was postponed to 30 August. Two of the arrested are minors who have been released into the custody of their parents.

Malelo urged those with information to please come to the fore and assist the police in their investigations. "We cannot rely on rumours. We need evidence that can be used in court, but we still urge those with information to come to us, so that it can assist us in our investigation," he said.

He added that they are still awaiting the post mortem results of Avhashoni Mbedzi, which will also direct their investigations.

Meanwhile, on Monday, a group of pupils marched to the local police station, demanding the release of their fellow pupils who were arrested during the weekend. They made it clear that they would not go back to class before the pupils were released.