HAMUTSHA – The death of a 15-year-old boy, Tendani Mulangalhuma of Hamutsha Village, has brought unrest to the area. Tendani's body was found hanging from the rafters of his mother's house on Sunday, April 25, this year.

According to a police statement, it is alleged that Tendani had been assaulted by his part-time employer, Mr John Makamu (44), earlier that day. The reason for his assault was, according to the statement, that he had allegedly stolen Makamu's cellphone.

After the assault, Tendani went home and the Makamu allegedly followed him and continued to assault him. The deceased's friend paid him a visit at his home, only to find his body hanging inside the house. The deceased was buried the following weekend, but the matter was not laid to rest.

Members of the deceased's family and the concerned residents closed ranks and demanded the immediate arrest of Makamu, saying the deceased hung himself as a result of his failure to manage the stress and depression that he had allegedly suffered due to the assault.

According to the chairperson of the local civic association, Mr Shadrack, Mamphogoro, several meetings were held with the SAPS, during which the police were requested to arrest Makamu. The police finally succumbed to the residents' demand and arrested Makamu last Saturday evening (May 22).

He was charged with assault. The deceased's mother, Mrs Esther Mulangaphuma, is the complainant in the case. Members from the Levubu Police Station were requested to attend the residents' general meeting that was held on Sunday.

During the meeting, the police officers indicated that the suspect had been arrested the previous night and that he would appear in court on Monday. He was not asked to plead during his court appearance on Monday and the case was postponed until today (Friday, June 4). He was not granted any bail, for the sake of his own security.

During an interview with the deceased's mother, Mrs Esther Mulangaphuma, she stated that she was happy at last because the suspect has finally been brought to book. "If he is sentenced, I will be happy, but even if he is acquitted, I will still not feel sad because justice will have taken its course," she said.