In recent times, the community of Phiphidi outside Thohoyandou has experienced vicious attacks on women, which have left some seriously injured.

This weekend, the village suffered the gruesome murder of a young woman, whose body was found in a nearby tea plantation. She is alleged to have been raped and later stabbed to death. Her body was found early on Saturday morning. The incident allegedly took place some distance from the point where she was found as her body was dragged like a sledge for a long distance.

Jabulani Raphalalani (27) is said to have left her home on Friday to join her friends at the local tavern for some drinks, as she usually did. Her naked and bloodied body was later found with visible stab wounds.

The incident has left the community and family members in a state of shock. News of her death spread like wildfire in the village, and within a short space of time, curious onlookers arrived from all the surrounding villages and some from as far as Nzhelele.

The police had to keep the onlookers at bay while they conducted their own investigations at the scene. Dog handlers were also roped in to help in tracing vital evidence.

A shocked Ms Phophi Mphaphuli, the victim’s aunt, said she heard the sad news while at the local graveyard on Saturday morning. "My brother was at the gate of the graveyard when he called me and told me the sad news. We rushed to the scene and we found many people already there. We demanded to see the body, but the police asked us to give them time as they were still combing the scene for clues," she said.

She said: "I am still in a state of shock; I do not even know what to do. We never expected her to die so suddenly and so young. We were still expecting a lot from her. She has two small children who are now orphans. No one is working in the family and we do not even know how we will bury her.”

“To add insult to injury, her mother is sick and she was also attacked recently," she said. She said she had no doubt that the incidents were related.

"There is a monster out there who is terrorising the community. The sooner he is arrested, the better it will be for this community. We are pinning our hopes on the police and we hope they will arrest the suspects soon,” she said.

Community leader and Thulamela ward councillor Mulalo Rammela also expressed shock at the incident. "We are a community under siege by criminals and living in fear. This is not the first cruel incident in the area. Last year, a friend of the deceased was allegedly raped and killed in the same fashion,” she said.

Rammela urged parents to prevent their children from venturing into the night as this is the time that many crimes are committed. She also appealed to the owners of taverns to close their businesses early. "We are calling on all in the community to stand up and take an active role in the fight against crime,” she added.

Thohoyandou police spokesperson Const Avhafarei Tshiovhe confirmed the incident. “We have arrested two men, aged 20 and 21, and they will appear in court soon,” she said.