The emotional funeral service of the four children who were brutally murdered by an axe murderer took place at Tshivhilidulu Village, near Siloam, on Saturday. The little mountainous village nearly turned into a weeping hub as thousands of people paid their last respects to the slain children.

Tshivhilidulu’s graveyard resembled a hospital ward as members of the emergency services could not handle more than 100 mourners who fainted when the coffins were lowered into the cold earth. The only alternative was to use private vehicles to rush them to Siloam Hospital while the funeral continued.

Ndivhuwo Tshilimandila (19) and her cousins, Nyadzani (14), Shumani (10) and Lavhelesani (6) of the Sivhugwane family, were found with gaping wounds to their necks and heads and a bloodied axe was found at the scene, a week ago. Ndivhuwo’s body was found in the sitting room whereas the bodies of the other three brothers were in their bedroom. It is further suspected that the 19-year-old girl had been raped before she was murdered because her underwear had been torn off. She was a Grade 11 learner at Vhusendeka High School whereas the Sivhugwane brothers were learners at Tshivhilidulu Primary School. No one has been arrested so far. Police are offering a R100 000 reward to anyone who can give information that can lead to the arrest and conviction of the culprit(s).

Among the mourners were the MEC for Safety, Security and Liaison, Samson Ndou, Thulamela Municipality Mayor, Khosi Thivhulawi Makumbane, and Archbishop EMM Miriri of the United African Apostolic Church (UAAC).

Ndou urged different stakeholders in the community to work together to eradicate crime. He condemned the senseless murder of the four children and promised that everything would be done to track down the culprit(s). He added that the government is equally concerned about the brutal maiming of innocent members of the community by cruel people who do not have respect for human life. “We convey our deepest condolences to family members for their great loss. This loss also affects us as Government and we need to join hands to bring peace in our area. The people who did this deserve to be removed from the community and they ought to spend the rest of their lives in prison.”

Family representative Mashudu Lavhengwa said the family was seriously depressed about the senseless deaths of their children. However, he thanked people for the support which the family is receiving from the community members. “Although it is hard to accept, we are courageous because community members have been with us through this hard time. We know we will get the people who murdered our children and they need to be punished by the law for their cruel deed. Our hearts are bleeding with pain, but there is nothing we can do because the situation is irreversible.”

Dean Alunamutwe Rannditsheni of the South African Council of Churches (SACC) said it was painful to see innocent children losing their lives in such a cruel manner. “God gave everyone life to enjoy, but those who are thirsty for blood are taking away the precious gift from innocent people. This is cruelty at its worst and we will not rest until the vampires who feed on human blood are removed from our community.”

Anger, frustration and pain conquered the whole graveyard as the coffins of the children were lowered to their final resting place. The sound of hymns was overpowered by weeping and wailing during what was the first funeral service of its kind at the once peaceful Tshivhiludulu village.