A naked man who prowls aimlessly during the night at Makonde village, north of Thohoyandou, has struck again! After vanishing into thin air for the past eight months, the man’s latest appearance shocked everyone at the weekend.

A local teacher, John Nethenzheni, got the shock of his life when he came face to face with Lubunyu (a Venda word for someone who prowls naked) at night. He explains: “I was walking next to my house at night when I realized that there was a person moving slowly just next to me. I thought my eyes were deceiving me when I realized that the man was naked. I had a second glace and I came back to my senses because what I was seeing was true. I could clearly see in the moonshine that the man was naked, but his body was shining as if it was smeared with oil.”

Nethenzheni said he moved towards the figure and whispered: “Ndi muthu? (Is it a human being?)”, but there was no answer. “He covered his face with his hands and moved back slowly. I tried to grab him with my hands, but he ran away at high speed. I gave a chase but he was very fast and I could not catch him. I could hear his footsteps moving away from me, but he disappeared into thin air. I think this is a supernatural being, because no one has ever succeeded in catching him.”

The women who were waiting for a bus to take them for a trip also got the shock of their lives when they saw Lubunyu at Makonde Post Office last week. One of the women, who did not want her name published, said: “We were sitting on the Post Office verandah at about 03:00 in the morning when Lubunyu appeared from the post office boxes corner, although there were lights. He was totally naked, shining, and barefoot and he came in our direction while covering his face with his hands. He continued to come to our direction, although we were all screaming for help. When community members came to our rescue, Lubunyu had already vanished into thin air. We are now afraid to move around the village either at night or in the early hours of the morning because we don’t know the motives of this evil man.”

Jonah Nethenzheni was among the community members who rescued the women from Lubunyu. He said: “That man is a fast runner and I think one would need a cheetah to catch him. His has big feet because his footprints were still visible at the Post Office grounds. He is turning our life into a nightmare.”