Nine women wanted to display their support to the family of Shonisani Thinandavha, the latest victim of ritual murder. They did not have money to give to the indigent family but all they could do was to display their support in style.

On Wednesday, the women converged at the family’s place at Mulodi village, near Tshilamba. As a gesture of sympathy, they started decorating the home with soil and cow dung for the whole day. They did not ask even a single cent for their hard work, all in the name of moral support.

“This is all we could do display our support. We are parents and human and we know what the family experienced during these times of hardships. They have not fully recovered from the ordeal of losing their loved one to ritual murder and they still need our support. The fact that the deceased has left behind seven kids makes our hearts bleed with pain. We do not have money to open a trust account or to donate, but we know we have hands that are capable of doing something,” said one of the women, Margareth Ndou.

Ndou added that the women decided to take the initiative after hearing that the family has been allocated an RDP house by the government. “We live close to the family and we felt that we need to do something for them. The deceased was part of our community and we want to show everyone that we still love her, even though she is no longer with us. We decided to put everything aside because we believe this is the best gift we can offer to the family.”

Grace Mabege, who also took part in the initiative said: “It did not bother us to move around the bush searching for cow dung because we had a common goal in mind. We also went out to look for a special type of soil that is used to decorate. We are happy because we have at least contributed something to the family. We told the family that we are always there whenever they need us.”

Family member Maria Hamisi was impressed by the incredible dedication of the women. “We thought we had been deserted shortly after the horrible incident but we are happy because we know there are people who care out there. As a family, we are filled with gratitude because the women have displayed a spirit of togetherness. May the Almighty bless them for the rest of their lives.”