A part-time gardener went to his workplace, allegedly stabbed his employee’s wife to death and vanished into thin air. This is the sad end for Mrs Ishrat Fazal, a 33-year-old Pakistani national who was staying at Vuwani.

Her businessman-husband, Younas Masih (41), was at his shop at Hatshihosana near Malamulele when the incident took place.

Ishrat’s lifeless body was found in a pool of blood inside the family’s kitchen last week. Onlookers looked in horror as undertakers and police removed the bloodied body of the victim. Police are investigating a murder case following the incident and they have launched a massive manhunt for the gardener whose whereabouts are still a mystery.

The 22-year-old suspect is not well known to his former employers, because he used different names. He is rumored to stay in several places, which include Malonga and Musina. The cruel death has raised more questions than answers on the safety of foreign businesspeople in the country.

Supt Ailwei Muashavhanamadi of the Limpopo police said the deceased sustained serious injuries to the chest and neck. "The victim was so seriously injured that she died at the scene. There was blood all over the kitchen, which clearly indicates that the suspect was ready to kill."

Mushavhanamadi said the motive for the gruesome murder has not been fully establish. "We are still investigating and hope to make an arrest soon."

He urges community members to join hands with the police to locate the suspect. "We only rely on information from our beloved community members and we hope they will assist us in tracing the suspect. We cannot tolerate this type of behavior where innocent people are murdered senselessly by people who do not have respect for human life. We will surely arrest him because we know that his days are numbered. He belongs in prison and the law will have to take its own course."

Mushavhanamadi appealed to community members who might know something about the suspect to report at the nearest police station.

The shocked husband of the deceased, Younas Masih, said he was arranging for the body of his wife to be flown to Pakistan for burial, at the time of going to press.