The lifeless body of a naked man was found in the early hours of Sunday at the football grounds of Madombidzha Try Again in Madombidzha.

He was identified as Mulalo Mpilo (29). His clothes and a shoe were found more than 500m away from the scene where his body was found. He was known as "Lucia” in the village and was depicted by many residents as somebody who was very polite and never quarrelled with anyone.

"He was a good man and did not deserve to die like this," said members of the community. The family said that they found wounds all over his body.

A cousin of the deceased, Mr Sampson Mpilo, said that the way Mulalo had died affected the whole family. "We are worried and still traumatised about the incident. We are greatly saddened about his death," he said. He added that his cousin was a healthy man. "I was with him on Saturday, the day before he was found dead. It really pains me a lot," said Sampson.

The deceased's mother, Florence Mpilo, came all the way from her home to see her son lying dead on the stony ground. "Culprits walk the streets freely," she moaned angrily. "I am without words. I did not nurse my son, he was not sick. There's no justice in our country. This is not the first case of this nature here in Madombidzha." Close family members and relatives were very emotional and broke out in tears when Mulalo's body was taken away by the forensic pathologists.

Mr David Davhana, Ward 21's councillor, said that no person had the right to take another person's life. He said the government and the church must join hands to fight the demon of murder, especially in Madombidzha, where someone is killed every weekend. "Human life is very important," he continues. "Alcohol abuse, school dropouts, unemployment and poverty are some of the worst evils in our area. They all contribute to the high level of crime."

Tshilwavhusiku police spokesperson Const Munyadziwa Marindi confirmed the incident. "We found the deceased's body lying on the ground," she stated. "We have opened an inquest docket and are waiting for the post mortem results."

She said that when the police arrived at the scene, they inspected the body, together with members of the family. “The body had wounds and the cause of his death is still not known," she said. "Anyone with information regarding what has happened must just call the police and furnish us with the information. We do not even want those people to reveal their names. They must just call us and give us the information and then we will investigate," said Marindi.

Mulalo will be buried tomorrow (Saturday). The service will start at 06:00 at his home.