The rural village of Gondeni La Ha-Mabilu and the surrounding areas, Lunungwi and Ngwenani near Thohoyandou, are still in shock after an incident last weekend that left a well-known carpenter dead and his two children seriously injured in yet another incident of family violence.

The body of Mr Masala Muofhe (27) was found on Sunday afternoon, hanging from a tree not far from his home. It is alleged that he had planned to take his life and those of his family members, but he died alone and left his two innocent kids, Elelwani (8 months) and Roana (3 years), seriously injured. His wife, Rendani Manngo (24), suffered slight injuries in the incident.

Although the information about the tragedy is still sketchy, it is alleged that, on Saturday, Muofhe tried all the tricks in the book to be with his wife and two children. He devised a plan to get money by selling the corrugated iron meant for their new house, which is under construc-tion. On Saturday, he called his wife to prepare her and the children so that they could go to town. He wore a tie for the first time since they were married. They boarded the taxi together to Thohoyandou, where they splashed money on clothes for themselves and the children.

It is said that they spent lavishly on expensive food. Amongst the clothes they bought was a sweater with the words “Here Comes Trouble” written on it, and he asked one of the children to wear it. The wife did not understand the meaning of the words but now realizes that he meant real trouble. From Thohoyandou they headed to a local resort where they had the time of their lives together before coming back home, where he tried unsuccessfully to wipe out his family before running to a nearby bushy area and committing suicide.

It is alleged that, on returning from the resort, his wife wanted to go to her maiden home, but was persuaded to stay. While she was allegedly preparing food, Muophe came in with two bricks and hit his wife on the head. A struggle ensued. Muophe then allegedly grabbed a knife and wanted to stab his wife, but in the struggle he dropped the knife.

The police report states that Ms Manngo then ran out of the house after realising that her husband had grabbed an axe. When she came back with relatives, they found that Muophe had gone. The two children had been hacked with the axe and seriously wounded. It was also discovered that he had taken a piece of wire with him and the people suspected that he might have committed suicide somewhere.

A search party comprising of villagers was dispatched, but did not find anything. His body was found the next day.

 It is also alleged that Muophe once told his wife that the day he would spoil his family would be his last day on earth …

Reacting to the incident, Mr Rendani Ligudu, a director from the Thohoyandou Victim Empowerment Programme (TVEP), urged the communities to be united in the fight against the scourge of abuse and violence against women and children, which has become like a plague in local communities. “We are living in an era where many men do not feel that they are masculine enough if they don’t administer some form of abuse to their families. Men want power and to be regarded as leaders in their families, even if they do not qualify,” he said. Ligudu said they were doing all they could do to sensitize communities about abuse, but it seems the message is falling on deaf ears.

Mr Bardwell Mufunwaini of Munna Ndi Nnyi (Who is a real man), a Limpopo-based organization, came out with guns blazing after learning of the incident.

“As we commence with the annual commemoration of the 16 days of activism against women and child abuse, we don’t expect a sober human being to be involved in such barbaric acts. This should not be happening in our communities after so many campaigns at churches and elsewhere in the community,” he said.

Mufunwaini said it was sad to find people who were still taking violence as a way out of their problems. “We have programmes and institutions that could assist all who have domestic problems before they take decisions that could leave their families in distress,” he said. Mufunwaini said it was surprising to find that a man with a problem with his wife would chose to include innocent children in the crossfire. “Children are a precious gift from God and they deserve the best treatment. Let us not use them to settle our personal scores,” he said.

Limpopo police spokesperson in Vhembe Captain Mashudu Malelo confirmed the incident and said they had registered two counts of attempted murder and an inquest docket. Malelo urged all couples with problems to approach the relevant professionals like pastors, social workers and other trained personnel for help.