Thousands of mourners converged at the Mukula grounds to witness the final send-off of a mother and her three children who were killed by her husband during an incident that left the community in a state of shock. The funeral service resembled political funerals with people from all walks of life and all corners of life attending.

A member of the defence force, Rifleman Meshack Kharivhe (35), stationed at Maunavhathu’s 15SAI Battalion in the Vuwani area, allegedly went berserk and killed his family of four on Saturday evening. Winnie Matodzi (27) and her three children, daughter Zwonaka (9), son Thendo (3) and Maduvha (9 months), met their untimely death when they were mercilessly bludgeoned to death with a spade.

It is alleged that a heated argument had ensued between the husband and wife over an extra-marital affair before the incident.

Speakers at the funeral called for spouses to seek professional help whenever problems arise between them. The mayor of Thulamela, Khosi Vho Thivhulawi Makumbane, said it would not have been anybody´s wish to experience what happened to the Kharivhe family. He said it was worrying that incidents of this nature were becoming part of people’s daily lives in the Vhembe area.

He said it was everybody´s responsibility to take care of each other, with men taking their role of securing and caring for members of their families. "Problems will always be there but let us find the best ways to resolve them," he said. He called on families to accept what has happened even though it was not expected.

Mukula community spokesperson Mr Rudzani Ramugondo called on all members of the community to seek professional help whenever they have problems. "There is a need for professionals trained in counseling to visit communities and make communities aware of the services they offer. This might help change people´s mindsets and result in a decrease in such incidents," he said. He urged those with problems not to keep quiet but to share their problems with their friends and family members.

The Speaker of the provincial legislature, Dr Tshenuwani Farisani, said the district had been plagued by tragedies that left a lot of questions unanswered. He said the spirit of Ubuntu seemed to have disappeared from the community where everyone cared for each other and an evil spirit might be at work.

The MEC for Safety and Liaison, Mr. Samson Ratshivhanda, said the tragic incident was beyond human comprehension. He said it defied understanding to find that the person who had committed the ghastly deed was supposed to be the one to care for the whole family. Ndou appealed to the people of Mukula to rally around the family in their time of grief. "On behalf of our department, I take this opportunity to express my heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the Kharivhe and Matodzi families for their loss. We share with them their grief and their loss is also ours," he said.

He added violence against women and children has become a big challenge in the new democratic dispensation, where defenseless women and children are subjected to the brutality of rape, assault, domination and gruesome killings. "It is with this challenge in mind that I want to call upon men and women to stand together as a collective to participate in a campaign against gender-based violence. It is also our responsibility as traditional leaders, community leaders, women’s forums, religious leaders, members of social clubs and societies to begin now and work hand in hand with the police service to eradicate crime in our midst," he said.

Meanwhile, the man who had allegedly killed the four appeared in the Thohoyandou Magistrate’s court on Monday. Meshack Kharivhe, who was charged with four counts of murder, was not asked to plead and his case was postponed to May 7.