All he wanted was to be with his beautiful young schoolgirl. Ever since he came back from Gauteng for the festive season, they had been a hot item, going everywhere together. The young man had come back with his pockets full of cash after getting his Christmas bonus from his employers back in Gauteng, thinking that he would enjoy it with his girlfriend until he went back to work. That was not to be as they blew all the money and he was left penniless, without even money for a fare back to Gauteng where he worked.

It is alleged that Khathutshelo Mudzudzanyi (31) and his petite girlfriend had been seen splashing money on expensive wines and liquor at taverns at Makonde village where they both lived until a few days ago, when it became clear that the man was penniless. To add insult to injury, the girlfriend was telling people that it was over between them as she could not continue a relationship with a broke person who could not even afford a beer.

According to family and friends, it became clear that she really meant what she was saying as she started paying more attention to those who had money, in the presence of the boyfriend. This did not go down well with Khathutshelo, who decided to end his life by hanging rather than face the humiliation of being jilted by his lover. He was found hanging from the rafters of his hut by family members on Friday morning. His girlfriend fled to the nearby mountains where police conducted a search for her, but it later turned out that she was hiding at a house in the same village. She was sent for treatment to the local trauma centre. The incident is a big blow to the family as they have lost another brother in a violent way and it has left the local community reeling in a state of shock.

In an interview with Mirror, Elisa Phaswana, who is the mother of the deceased, painfully narrated the events leading to her son’s death. “This was a match from hell. They were always quarrelling after their wild drinking sprees,” she said. Phaswana blamed the girlfriend for tearing their once peaceful family apart. “We used to stay as a closely knit family unit, with everything going well between us, until the arrival of this woman,” she said. Phaswana said her son used to send them money for the upkeep of the family as he knew their condition and that no one was working. “He would send us money for groceries every month, but all this stopped as soon as he fell in love with his girlfriend. We tried talking sense to him by telling him of our disapproval of their relationship and this brought much animosity within the family,” she said.

Phaswana said she heard voices in the hut late the previous night and just assumed that they were in the hut as usual. “Early in the morning, I heard some noises coming from the hut, only to find that they were fighting and my son was threatening his lover with a spade. I ran to the neighbours who came in no time and we broke down the door, only to find him hanging from the rafters,” she said.

Frans Mathaba, a close relative of the family, said he had tried to counsel Khathutshelo, but all his efforts were in vain as Khathutshelo continued with the affair even when the girl told him to his face that it was over between them. “Their affair was just like a time bomb, waiting to explode. They were always quarrelling and it was clear that it would not end peacefully,” he said.

Community leader and member of the Makonde Royal Council Mr Fulufhelo Nedzingahe said the incident had shocked the village. “Our name has already been dented by ritual murders, but we thought that it had come to a stop after the ritual killers were arrested and sent to jail. We never thought something like this would happen,” he said. Nedzingahe encouraged villagers to seek professional help and to share their problems with people close to them. “This young man would not have died if he had told his problem to his elders. His problem was simple and could have been solved easily by relatives or the community,” he said.

Limpopo police spokesperson in Vhembe area Captain Mashudu Malelo confirmed the incident. He said an inquest docket had been opened.