RAVELE- The Tshilwavhusiku magistrate’s court was packed when the three people accused of the gruesome murder of the late teacher, Mr Abel Siphuma, appeared in court on Wednesday.

Siphuma’s body was found with multiple chop and stab wounds last Monday morning at a mealie field and his body had been put in an 80kg mielie meal bag. The suspect’s wife, Ms Martha Siphuma (41), and her two children, Elias Siphuma (22) and Mususumeli Siphuma (20), appeared in court for the second time on Wednesday. The case was postponed to the 31st of March.

The first appearance was last week Thursday ( 3 February) and the case was postponed to Wednesday, 9 February. The fourth suspect, a 16-year-old boy, was released, after he had been questioned by the police.

The suspects were not asked to plead when they appeared in court. The magistrate postponed the case until 31 March and the suspects will remain in custody.

Outside the court, community members were baying for the suspects’ blood. Some of the community members who were interviewed by Mirror said that, on the 31st of March, they will organise a march to hand over a memorandum to the magistrate not to give the suspects bail. They further said that, if the suspects received bail, the community would take the law into their own hands.

The angry community indicated that they would not allow the suspects to come back into the Maebane Village. Pupils from Luvhivhini Secondary School, who were at the court, said that they could not concentrate in class after they had heard about the murder of their teacher. The funeral was supposed to be last week Saturday and was postponed to this Saturday. The service will start at 06:30.