Community relieved after suspect gets caught

The arrest and subsequent appearance in court of the man who had allegedly murdered his wife at Tshivaloni came as a great relief to the family and members of the local community. After allegedly hacking his estranged wife, Ms Nkhetheni Mudau, with what is believed to have been an axe, the perpetrator, Humbulani Nethengwe, fled the scene, leaving her dead body in a pool of blood. The incident occurred at Tshivaloni village, Niani, on Monday, 15 April, at around 10:30.

Since Nethengwe’s disappearance, no peace was to be found in the community. He had allegedly threatened the family that he would come back and kill those he felt had interfered in his life. For nearly a week, the fugitive had been living in the bushes at Maramanzhi. His hiding streak came to an end on Saturday, 20 April, when he was arrested by the police. He appeared in the Masisi Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, 23 April, and was charged with murder. His case was postponed to 30 April for further investigations and he remains in custody.

His incarceration brought some relief to the family members, who had felt unsafe. The late Mudau's sister, Ms Magareth Mudau, said they had been very concerned about their safety when the man had still been at large. “We are so relieved as a family that he is now behind bars. They must just lock him up for good. What he did to my sister is very barbaric. He must pay for it and rot in jail,” she said.

Community leader Mr Thendo Nemukula said the community was still in disbelief after the murder. “We were in fear since he went into hiding. The man is capable of doing very bad things. We are happy that he is finally in custody. We can now go about our day-to-day lives without fear,” he said.

The late Nkhetheni Mudau met her untimely demise after what is believed to be a domestic-violence incident. The couple had separated, and the man had moved out. On that fateful day, he allegedly came back to the woman's house under the guise of fetching his last belongings.

News - Date: 26 April 2024

Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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