The national president of the National Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu), Noluthando Sibiya, visited the families of ritual murder victims in Vhembe last week.

Sibiya and her delegation handed out groceries and blankets to four families who have lost their loved ones over the past two years. Nehawu has more than 240 000 members in the country.

The visit started at Manamani village, where Sibiya met the family of Mulweli Nemadandila, whose tiny, lifeless body was found with missing body parts, floating in the local river.

She then proceeded to Makonde, to meet Joyce Sendedza, the mother of Maanda Sendedza whose butchered body was found at Makonde Shadani late in 2005. Sibiya continued her journey by going to meet the family of Shonisani Thinandavha, whose mutilated body was discovered at the local mountain last year. The visit was rounded off by her going to Tshivhilidulu to see the Siphugwane family, whose four kids were hacked to death last year.

Sibiya said the visit is part of her union’s programme of declaring war against the abuse of women and children. She said she was touched by the prevalence of ritual murder in Vhembe. "We are a union that cares for its people and we are here to give support to the affected families. We want to display that we are sharing the same pain with our people because we are a transformative union. Some of the affected parents are our members and we are also affected as a union. We are not here to open the healing wounds, but to display that we are swimming together in the pool of pain. Your pain is our pain and we need to confront these issues together, for the benefit of our society."

Sibiya urged community members to break the silence about ritual murder instead of keeping quiet. "We must speak out about these things; thus it will be easier to deal with them. Ritual murder should be condemned in all respects because it is evil."

One of the affected family members, Joyce Sendedza, said she was pleased to know that there are people who care. "Although I know that my child will never come back, I am comforted by the fact that we have support from the community."