“Mativha o xa ...” King Toni Mphephu Ramabulana has described the shocking death of Chief Azwianewi David Mutshinyalo Ravhura (49) and his younger brother, Lindelani Godfrey Ravhura (43), as a great loss to the Vhavenda kingdom.

Without leaving a note, Chief Azwianewi David Mutshinyalo Ravhura committed suicide by hanging himself in the storeroom of his palace at Makonde village, north of Thohoyandou, on Wednesday last week. The chief’s lifeless body was discovered by his eight-year-old son, Tshinetise, hanging from the rafters of the storeroom.

After hearing the sad news of the passing away of the chief, his younger brother, Lindelani Godfrey Ravhura, told close family members that he could not cope with the death of his beloved brother. Moments later he also hanged himself from a mango tree at his home in Maraxwe village, just a few kilometres from Makonde, where the chief had hung himself.

What people seem to find strange about these deaths is that it is not the first time that this royal house has had to cope with deaths of this nature. Chief Azwianewi David Mutshinyalo Ravhura’s father, Tshinetise Ravhura, who was also a chief, committed suicide by hanging himself from a guava tree in 1961. The mother of the same chief who hanged himself last week, Mmboneni Ravhura, also died mysteriously in the sixties after being struck by lightning.

Chief Azwianewi Ravhura entered the limelight when he joined the fray for the Venda kingship as one of the claimants in 2004 when he wanted to be recognized by the Nhlapo Commission as the most senior traditional leader of all the Vhavenda. He argued that the Ravhura royal house had kept quiet for more than 230 years and it was time for them to reclaim their glory. Unfortunately, his claim for the Venda kingship was dismissed by the commission.

For many years, under the traditional leadership of the Ravhuras, the village of Makonde commanded high respect as it was well known as a place visited periodically by Nwali (Raluvhimba), the supreme god of the Vhavenda. The historic cave of Raluvhimba (bako la Raluvhimba) where Musethegwa Magwabeni interpreted for Chief Ravhura when Nwali visited Makonde is also a trademark of the Makonde village.

The village of Makonde underwent countless developments under the leadership of Chief Azwianewi  Ravhura. A man of few words, the chief was loved and respected by his community. His humour, loving smile, community development interest and selfless passion for the poor will be dearly missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him. His royal palace was always a shelter for those who did not have enough to provide for themselves. Over the years, he had made countless donations to charities and spent much of his hard-earned cash to develop his community.

The chief seemed undisturbed when he addressed a community gathering two days before his untimely death. Almost as if he was saying goodbye, he stressed that the community should always be united and work hard to fight poverty and underdevelopment.

After hearing the shocking news of the death of their much-loved chief, the community of Makonde, who looked like sheep without a shepherd, gathered at the local church premises to map the way forward and plan on how they can assist to make sure that their chief gets a decent send-off. During the meeting, it was agreed that each household should contribute R20 while all businesses within the village are contributing R200 each. All the local churches also agreed to contribute R100 each. A period of mourning was declared during the meeting.

Condolences have kbeen coming from all corners of the country. King Toni Mphephu Ramabulana sent a delegation to the chief’s palace. He said it is unfortunate that he had lost one of his most trusted senior traditional leaders unexpectedly. “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched but are felt in the heart. We will always remember Chief Ravhura for all the good things he did during his lifetime. I know everyone is seriously hurt by this incident, but life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass - it’s about learning to dance in the rain. This means that we must be focused and continue where this legend has left off. If we have been pleased with life, we should not be displeased with death, since it comes from the hand of the same Master. We will forever mourn him.”

Although it is against the Vhavenda culture to announce publicly when a chief will be laid to rest, the funeral arrangements for both Chief Azwianewi David Mutshinyalo Ravhura and his younger brother were at an advanced stage at the time of going to press. At the same time, the police were also finalizing their investigations into the two cases.