The village of Tshitomboni outside Thohoyandou resembled a war zone, with blood splashed on the street and bloodied bodies lying metres apart from each other on the street.

This was the scene where a man was stabbed to death and his two alleged killers stoned to death by angry community members.

The bizarre scene, which has shocked the peaceful and closely knit community, happened on Sunday afternoon. The deceased are Ndiafhi Nethonzhe (33) of Tshitomboni, Tshitereke Netshitomboni (22) and Thomas Dzivhani (26) both of Dididi.

Eyewitness accounts indicate that the deceased were enjoying traditional sorghum beer at one of the households at Tshitomboni when the incident happened.  It is alleged that an argument ensued over the price of cigarettes which were  being sold by one of the deceased, Ndiafhi Nethonzhe.

Nethonzhe was stabbed in the chest and died of his injuries. Angry community members are alleged to have vented their anger on the two suspected killers, tying them up with ropes before stoning them to death.

Limpopo Mirror visited the scene before the bodies could be taken away. The body of one of the men who had allegedly stabbed Nethonzhe lay next to a toilet, with serious gashes on the head, in a pool of blood. Big stones lay next to the body, a reminder of what he could have gone through before he died.

The body of the other alleged killer lay some metres from the first one, next to a big stone,  with blood flowing from the body.

The body of Ndiafhi Nethonzhe lay next to the entrance to the household where they were drinking.

Family members kept vigil next to the body and waited until his body was taken away by a mortuary van. After the body was taken away, family members removed the blood-soaked soil where the body had been. According to tradition, a person's blood cannot be left on the street for people to trample on as it will bring bad luck and the departed will not rest in peace.

The brother of the deceased, Phathu Nethonzhe, said the family was still in a state of shock. "My brother was a humble person who would never hurt a fly. I am still shocked and surprised as to why he chose to go to that place. He was not known to drink sorghum beer and it happened right where they were drinking sorghum beer," said the sad brother.

He said even though his brother had not been working, he was a responsible person who was taking care of his twins. "He is gone and we are left with no option but to accept it as it is. We are putting all in the hands of God, who will take us through this episode of our lives," he said.

Local traditional leader Thovhele Zwidofhelangani Mmbubana condemned the killings, saying they would tarnish the good name of the village. He said it is the first time such a horrible incident had happened in the village.

"As traditional leaders, we abhor any form of violence and the killing of people and the unnecessary loss of life cannot be tolerated. We will sit down with the community and find ways to control the sale of alcohol as most of the crimes are committed while people are drunk," he said.

"We have opened one count of murder in respect of the murder of Ndiafhi Nethonzhe, who was stabbed to death, and a further two counts in respect of the two men who were stoned to death by the community. So far, we have arrested eight men in connection with the two murders and they will appear in court soon," said Const Avhafarei Tshiovhe, Thohoyandou police spokesperson.