A 54-year-old man, Elias Likhanya, allegedly chopped his 31-year-old wife, Khakhathi Makhavhu, to death with a panga and allegedly raped his daughter in-law before hanging himself on Sunday.

Vhakoma Vho Richard Netshianzwane, who was the first to arrive at the scene, said he was shocked by what he saw. “Blood was oozing from deep wounds to the head of the woman. It was a very scary situation,” he said. Netshianzwane immediately called the police, who reacted swiftly, but the man had already fled in the direction of the mountain. A search party was organised and soon after, with the help of the police, the man's body was found hanging from a tree on the other side of the mountain.

Ms Tshinanne Likhanya, the sister of Elias, said the incident had caught them off guard. “It came as a shock to us. Imagine having to lose two people in one day,” she said. She said that her brother was unemployed and struggled to make ends meet. He had six children to care for.

“What my brother did will traumatise us for a long time. If he had serious problems with his wife, he should have just let her go home without harming her. It will be very hard to forget what he did,” she said.

The traditional leader in the village, Khosi Vho-Wilfred Netsianda, said the incident came as a shock to him. “We have not experienced anything of this nature before and this has left the village in a state of shock. All we can do now is to make an appeal to the community not to resort to violence as a way to solve their problems,” he said.

The chairperson of the Tsianda Pastor's Forum, Pastor Ramahala, condemned the incident. “What type of men are we today who go all out to murder our loved ones? Men are supposed to give warmth and care for their families and not to murder them,” he said. Ramahala called on all couples with problems to approach them or other professional structures that could help them.

The spokesperson for the Levubu Police, W/O Solly Mukhola, said a case of murder had been opened and investigations were continuing. He urged couples with marital problems to seek professional assistance instead of resorting to violence. Mukhola said that the young girl was still receiving treatment at the Tshilidzi trauma centre.