Angry community members bayed for the blood of Ndivhudzannyi Thinandavha (40) who appeared at Mutale Magistrate’s Court on Monday. He has been charged with ritual murder, following the death of Shonisani Thinandavha (38) of Mulodi village.

Police made a major breakthrough when they arrested him on Sunday. The suspect is the next-door neighbour of the victim and the father of her seven kids.

It took a long time for the police to restore order at the court as angry community members, the majority of whom come from Mulodi, refused to disperse after the court proceedings. They demanded that the suspect be brought and paraded so that they could have a look at him. Some of them further demanded that he be brought to them so that they could apply mob justice. He was kept in police protection for some hours for the crowd to disperse before he was taken back into custody.

The suspect was not asked to plead and his case was postponed to Monday next week (24 July), while he remmained in custody.

The deceased died a mysterious death and her mutilated body was discovered at Mulodi Mountain last Sunday. Her upper lip, right hand palm, left ear and the front part of her breasts were sliced off. She was naked from the waist down and a rope was tied around her neck.

Ms Thinandavha has left behind seven kids, including a three-month-old baby. She was a single, unemployed parent who survived by selling fire wood. She went to collect some fire wood at the local mountain last two weeks ago and never came back.

The suspect’s arrest brought a sigh of relief as community members are appreciating a job well done by the police. A family member, Maria Hamisi, said they are now relieved because the arrest is a huge milestone for the family and the community.

“We believe the law will take its own course. If found guilty, the suspect must face a long sentence and never be brought back. I wish the death sentence could be restored. We now put everything in the court’s hands, but we hope justice will prevail.”

Another community member, who absconded from work to attend the court hearing, said: “We hope the arrest of the suspect will give a lesson to other man eaters that they have no place in our community. The law should be tough on all ritual murderers because they are inhuman. Women are now afraid to go to the mountain to fetch wood because they are afraid of being killed.”