A couple’s quarrel ended tragically when the man killed his wife with an axe, ran into the bushes and hanged himself.

Alpheus Mavhulavhula (55) of Muraga Village outside Thohoyandou mercilessly hacked his wife, Florence (43), to death after an argument. The source of the argument is not known.

The incident, which left the community and the family with many unanswered questions, happened in the early hours of Sunday. The couple’s relationship has been described by all as violent as they were always quarrelling and fighting.

Family members confirmed that they had recently separated, but were reconciled before the incident. It is also alleged that the man had once hacked the wife with a panga, but the problem was later resolved.

Another source said the wife had recently bought a new bed where she slept alone and this did not go down well with the husband, who suspected that she might be denying him his conjugal rights because of another lover. It is also claimed that the relationship was at an all-time low.

The couple’s first-born son, Lucky (21), said his parents had quarreled the previous night, but he could not hear what the quarrel was all about; he indicated that the quarrel was not that serious. “We were used to their quarrelling all the time, but what happened on the day in question was not serious,” he said. He said that he woke up at about six in the morning the following day and did not suspect anything when his father greeted him at the door. “He looked normal and one could not suspect that he had committed murder; he was his usual self,” Lucky said.

He added that his younger sister, Adivhaho, who had been in the same room as their mother, called him and told him their mother was having a problem. “I went to the room and was shocked to find my mother wrapped in a shawl and in a pool of blood. I could see she was not breathing and was dead,” he said. Lucky said he had run out of the room screaming and headed straight to the local traditional leader and informed him about the incident.

“This is a sad day for us as children. We are left on our own with no one to care for us. I have been made a parent at an early age as I have to look after my four siblings,” said the sad Lucky. “We are very poor as both my parents were not working and burying them will be an uphill struggle. Surviving without them will be difficult,” he said.

“What my father did will traumatize us for a long time. If he had serious problems with my mother, he should have just let her go home without harming her. It will be very hard to forget what he did,” he said.

Vhakoma Vho Richard Netshianzwane, who was the first to arrive at the scene, said he was shocked by what he saw. “Imagine blood oozing and deep head wounds on a person; it was a very scary situation,” he said. He said he had called the police, who reacted swiftly, but the man had already run away in the direction of the Luvuvhu River. He organized a search party and, with the help of police dogs, the man was found hanging from a tree after committing suicide on the other side of the river.

Phineas Mavhulavhula, the brother of Alpheus, said the incident had caught them off guard. “It came as a shock to us. Imagine having to lose two people in one day; we are greatlyvery saddened,” he said. Phineas, who is unemployed and struggling to make ends meet, said he had 15 children of his own and the five from his brother’s family would be an added burden. He pleaded with the public to assist them in burying their loved ones.

 The traditional leader of the village Musanda Vho Muraga said the incident had comecame as a shock to him. “We have not experienced anything of this nature before and this has left the village in a state of shock. All we can do now is to make an appeal to the community not to resort to violence as a way out of their problems,” he said. Muraga said the man was a regular feature at the royal court on various charges. “It is not long ago that this man was released from prison after serving a long sentence for the murder of a local man, but we never thought he would ever again go this far,” he said.

The chairperson of Munna Ndi Nnyi Men’s Forum, Mr. Bardwell Mufunwaini, condemned the incident. “What type of men are we today who go all out to murder our loved ones? Men are supposed to give warmth and care for their families and not to murder them,” he said. Mufunwaini called on all couples with problems to approach them or other professional structures that could help them.

The spokesperson for the Limpopo police in Vhembe, Insp Nkanukeni Raedani, said a case of murder had been opened by the Thohoyandou police and investigations were continuing, while an inquest docket in respect of the dead man had been opened at the Malamulele police. He urged couples with marital problems to seek professional assistance before resorting to violent solutions.

Meanwhile, the family received some help from a Louis Trichardt-based businessman. Mr Amie Chhaya gave the family temporary relief this week while they prepare for the funeral of their loved ones. Chhaya said he was deeply touched when he learned about incident, especially the orphaned children who have nothing at all.  “What we are doing here is just a temporary intervention. The family is in deep need and it is up to us local businesses to go all out and assist this family,” he said. He is appealing to all kindhearted South Africans to open up their hearts and to help them in this time of need.

Those wishing to make donations can do so by contacting the eldest son, Lucky, at 076 104 0779, Phineas at 072 152 5613 or Master at 072 707 9697.