A resident of Thomo outside Giyani, Ms Katrina Nkovani (49), was doused with petrol and burnt to death on Monday. It is alleged that she had been accused of having killed her own relative.

Nkovani was allegedly lured to her death, after being called by the family to assist in the cleaning of the blankets belonging to the late relative. On arrival at the relative's house, she was told that she was wanted at the local tribal office. At the tribal office, she was allegedly attacked with rocks, doused with petrol and set alight.

She later died at the local hospital.

This is not an isolated incident of people being burnt on suspicion of murder. Two months ago, Granny Mamayila Nkuna was doused with petrol and set alight at Shimawusa village also outside Giyani after sbeing accused of practising witchcraft.

Narrating the events and subsequent death of his mother, the deceased's son, Dan, said his mother was a good person who would not even harm a fly. “My mother was a staunch Christian. She was filled with love and could not have killed any person. We do not even know what could have led our relatives to believe that she had killed her relative, Phindile Nkovani.”

He said the killing of his mother had been well planned. “After Pindile’s burial on Sunday, they had planned during the funeral to kill my mother. The following day (Monday) she was phoned to come and help clean the dead woman’s clothes as is the custom. She was, however, dragged to the street, doused with petrol and set alight,” said her sobbing son.

The family is struggling to bury their loved one as the breadwinner in the family is not getting any salary because they are on strike at the Marikana mine.

The spokesperson for the Limpopo Police, Col Ronél Otto, expressed shock about the killing of innocent people in Giyani and other areas in Limpopo. She urged the community to change their attitude and not to take the law into their own hands. She said they must report all people suspected of crimes.

"Incidents of this nature are always on the increase. Hardly a week passes without such incidents happening and this has become a source of great concern,” she said. Otto added that no one had been arrested so far, but investigations were at an advanced stage.