The communities of Sigonde, Ha-Gumbu and Ha-Tshenzhelani, next to the South Africa/Zimbabwe border, are in a state of shock, following the ripping apart of a single mother in what is suspected to be a bomb explosion.

Ms Leah Tshikovhi (46) of Ha-Gumbu along the Madimbo Corridor, an area that was formerly used by the SANDF, had gone to collect wood in some nearby bushes when she allegedly came across something that she thought she could sell for scrap metal. Information at this paper’s disposal is that she came back from the bush at around 16:00 and was very tired as it was very hot.

It is said that she then sat next to the pile of the fire wood she had collected and sent her daughter to fetch her some water. After her daughter had left her, something exploded and, on closer investigation, her daughter found that her mother was badly injured and also crying in pain. "Her right hand was shattered, while her right leg and her face were also badly injured,” said Nditsheni Mbedzi, the deceased’s younger brother.

Tshikovhi is said to have told her daughter to look after the other children if she should pass away. She was taken to a clinic in Masisi, from where she was transferred to Donald Fraser Hospital, where she passed away.

Mbedzi confirmed that his sister used to go to the area along the corridor to collect scrap that she sold in Musina to fend for her children as no one was working in the family. “She used to collect scrap for sale, but she stopped doing so quite a while ago. We cannot tell what happened that day because it is said she picked up something that later killed her." It is suspected by the community that it was a bomb or landmine, unfamiliar to the deceased, and that it later exploded.

He said that the area where people picked up scrap was not safe and that she was not the first person to have died after some stuff that they picked up there exploded. "Two other people have also died as a result of explosions from live explosive devices gathered in the area. I think the government is not doing enough to protect the area and make the local communities aware about the dangers of venturing into that area."

The deceased’s younger sister, Ms Namadzavho Tshikovhi, said the death of her sister left a lot of pain in the family. “My sister was a single mother fending for her five children and I wonder how they will continue with life without her. To add to our misery, the family is so poor that we wonder how we are going to bury her. We will accept any form of assistance from Good Samaritans, so that we can give our sister a decent funeral,” she said.

Limpopo police spokesperson Col Ronel Otto confirmed the incident and said an inquest docket had been opened.