TSHIVHASE - Thousands of community members from the Tshivhase areas marched to the area commissioner's office at Sibasa last Thursday, and expressed their lost hope in the police "for their failure to make arrests in the dragging murder cases in the area".

The community demanded that the elite unit of the police, the Scorpions, be assigned to investigate all the ritual murder cases, "that have been dragging since 1988". They also demanded the establishing of an office of the Independent Complain Directorate (ICP) in the area, to avoid police brutality on the part of the community.

"We have endured this unacceptable situation of unresolved murder cases by the police who show an unwillingness to resolve pending murder cases despite the availability of leads and evidence made to them. The community, represented by the Crisis Committee, demands the re-deployment of the local members of the murder and robbery unit. We also demand the immediate transfer of Commissioner Masepa Maepa," said the memorandum.

The community also demanded the immediate arrest of all suspects in the murder cases, including that of the late Mutshinyalo Grace Nephawe, whose headless body was found dumped two years back and the killers of Tendani Victor Lukhwareni who was shot while walking to his home on April 18 this year.

Tendani was a chairperson of the Tshivhase Youth Committee, a committee established to fight against ritual murder cases in the area. He was killed hardly five days after he led a big protest march by the community to the area commissioner's office where they were protesting against the dragging ritual murder cases in the area.

The community also demanded the withdrawal of all charges levelled against more than a hundred members of the Tshivhase community who were arrested and charged with public violence, arson and murder.

These people were arrested following upon the unrest situation that resulted from Lukhwareni's death. Two people were killed while more than ten homes were torched, including a café, butchery and two cars, during that time.

The community gave the area commissioner fourteen days to respond, and threatened with anarchy in the whole Venda if their demands were not met.

The memorandum was also faxed to Pres. Thabo Mbeki's office, the National Director of Prosecution and the provincial MEC for Safety and Liaison, Dikeledi Magadze.