TSHAULU – This is not a Hollywood movie, it is real! A 22-year-old student from Tshaulu village sleeps on the roof of his one-roomed mud house, because he claims there are people who are after his life. He puts rocks on either side to make sure that he does not fall off the roof when he is in deep sleep.

“I have survived four attacks and I thought the best thing is to sleep on my roof to avoid those people who want to kill me. They broke into my room and tried to poison me but they have so far failed to destroy my soul,” says Khathutshelo Ralulimi, a Grade 12 learner at Tondalushaka High School.

Khathutshelo stays alone at the foot of Tshaulu mountain. His parents separated in 2002 and his mother works far away from the village and she seldom comes back home. He claims he has reported the matter to the Tshaulu SAPS but he got a raw deal from the police.

He explains his story to Mirror: “The first attack came in February while I was sleeping, at midnight. I heard voices outside my house saying they wanted to finish me off the same night - and within some minutes, they forced my door open with an iron bar. I hid under my bed and they looked everywhere with the assistance of their torch. They noticed that I was under the bed and one of them tried to grab me. I do not know how I managed to run away. They tried to follow me and I disappeared into the local mountain. I went to report the matter to the police the following morning, but the police ignored and they did not even issue me with a case number…”

Khathutshelo says his would-be attackers poisoned his food when they couldn’t find him in another attack. “I was sleeping on the roof when they came and forced the door opened. I saw in the moonlight that they were five males. I could hear everything that was happening in the room when they were talking. One of them said it was better to poison my food because they could’t get hold of me. They agreed to poison my beef that I cooked for dinner that evening. I heard them saying that they had finished with me because I would obviously eat the food. I took the food in the morning and threw it in a pit that I had dug.”

Khathutshelo said the attackers realized that he was still kicking and they came again for the third time. “As usual, I was on my roof when they came another night. This time I became brave and hit one of them with a stone and they dispersed. I now fear for my life because they will end up killing me. I haven’t done anything wrong, but I suspect they want to kill me for ritual purposes as I stay alone. This thing has highly disturbed me and I am no longer able to read my books well…”

The village traditional leader, Madzhadzhi Bohwana, said she was not aware of the threats against the young student. “I view it in a serious light and I advise him to come and see the Khoro (Council) and present his case formally, so that we may assist him accordingly. We condemn any type of criminal activities in this village and we will treat the matter according to the seriousness it deserves…”

Mirror visited the Tshaulu SAPS and found that Khathutshelo’s case was never registered in the Occurrence Book. Police officers on duty said they know the young man very well, but he never came to the station to report any case. They denied that he was unfairly treated and said the young man was only seeking publicity. Supt. Ailwei Mushavhanamadi of the Vhembe Police advised Khathutshelo to go to the Tshaulu SAPS to lay a formal charge against his attackers.

“He needs to go there and the police will kindly assist him to register his case. A formal investigation will then start and we will do the best to assist him in protecting his life.”