"Ritual murderers, your time is up…!" This is the message from members of the Khubvi-based Tshanduko Drama Association, who have recently released a movie, Ho vuwa Zhalinga, which warns community members about the dangers and evils of ritual murder.

The movie, which is available on DVD and videocassettes, has received acclaim from impressed viewers in Vhembe.

The movie is about a young man called Balanganani who drinks heavily, who falls victim to ritual murder. His mutilated body is discovered in the bushes but his bloodthirsty killers are later found and face the long arm of the law.

Written by Emmanuel Luambo and produced by Fhatuwani Mbevhana and Avhashoni Sikhipha, the movie portrays the real situation about the spate of ritual murders that hit Vhembe last year.

In an exclusive interview with Mirror, Emmanuel Luambo said he wrote the movie to discourage community members from taking part in the evil act of ritual murder. "The movie condemns ritual murder at its worst and we hope that the message will go across to our people that it is wrong to take part in ritual murder. Ritual murder is an evil, unacceptable and bad practice influenced by dead beliefs. Some people believe that they can become rich by using human body parts, but I want to warn everyone that wealth is accumulated through hard work."

Luambo points out the setbacks they had during the recording sessions of the movie: "We did not have enough cash for logistics like traveling, cover design, DVD duplication and distribution. We did not want the setbacks to stop us on our way to success but we work hard although we are still distributing and marketing the DVD on our own."

He says they are presently working on another DVD, which will be released later this year. "We have seen our shortcomings and this will be a correction of all our past mistakes."