Could this be a tornado that had swept over this area or could this be the work of Satanists?

Those were the questions asked by members of the community after learning about the destruction of graves at the Mphego Royal burial site. The gravesite resembled a war zone hit by an air strike, with graves flattened and others having the headstones broken to pieces.

This was the rude awakening the royal family had on Monday morning. When members of the royal family arrived at the graveside on Monday, they found it in tatters. Four graves belonging to the royal family were severely damaged, while two had their headstones broken.

Damage to the graves is estimated at more than R100 000. The senseless incident has not only shocked the royal family, but the whole community is still asking who might be behind the incident at the sacred place.

A suggestion that it could have been grave robbers was rejected, as the vandal(s) only damaged the graves and nothing was stolen in the process. The local traditional leader, Chief Samson Mulatedzi Mphego, said he was at home at the royal palace when a neighbour, who resided next to the sacred royal gravesite, alerted him to the vandalization.

“They came to the palace and informed us there was chaos at the graveyard. We rushed to the place, only to find that many graves had been damaged. We counted six graves, four of which were severely vandalized while two were slightly damaged. We have reported the matter to the police. At this stage, we have no idea who could be behind this ghastly deed, but this is not the first time that we have experienced this.

"Last year, a similar incident happened when a local man, who is also a relative, destroyed a freshly erected grave in full view of the public,” he said. “We had some differences with the man and we just believe these are sour grapes, but this is not the best place vent his anger as it is a sacred place. God will deal accordingly with him. He pressed the wrong button, and he will have to face the wrath of the ancestors,” he said.

Vho-Khotsimunene Reckson Mphego said the family was saddened. "We have laid members of the family to rest here and now there seems to be a campaign to make them restless. This is uncalled for. If there is any person with issues, he should just come and we sit down to see how best we can resolve the matter, rather than venting his anger on the dead. This goes to show that people have lost respect for the dead and think they can just do as they wish, even in sacred areas," he said.

He said he would be happy if the perpetrators were brought to book and made to answer for the cruel deeds.

Thohoyandou police spokesperson Const Avhafarei Tshiovhe said they were busy investigating. “We have opened a violation-of-graves charge and we are appealing to anyone who might have witnessed the incident to please notify their nearest police,” she said.