VUWANI – Residents of Tshivhulana are reeling in shock following the death of a 24-year-old man who was stabbed to death with a knife at the Vuwani complex last Friday night.

According to the police, two men aged 30 and 21 respectively approached the deceased, who was going to his home at Tshivhulana village. “The two asked the victim for a cigarette and once he indicated that he did not have one, they allegedly stabbed him several times all over his body. We arrested the two suspects after we received the sad news that the victim had passed away on Saturday,” said police spokesperson in the Vhembe area, Supt Ailwei Mushavhanamadi.

The two appeared in the Vuwani Magistrate court on Tuesday on a charge of murder, but charges against one of the suspects were withdrawn after it was found that he had never involved himself in stabbing the deceased. The alleged killer was not asked to plead and he has been remanded in custody until he appears again in the Vuwani Magistrate’s court on 15 April, 2005.

Meanwhile, the Vuwani SAPS spokesperson, Insp Mangalani Ramulifho, is pleading with residents of Tshitungulwane, Manavhela and Tshilaphala to furnish the police with information that can lead to the arrest of the suspect who had raped a 44-year-old mentally disturbed woman and her 14-year-old granddaughter in the early hours of Saturday morning at Ha-Manavhela village.

According to Ramulifho, the suspect frightened the victims with a screwdriver before he allegedly raped them. He said that, on January 19, an unknown man also raped the two victims. “As police we are not sure whether all these rapes have been committed by the same suspect, but possibilities are high that it must be one person. We also heard that the alleged rapist is short and fat, so we are requesting people to make use of the suggestion boxes or to contact us at 015 961 4092,” he said.