The family of the granny who was allegedly killed by her son-in-law on Friday morning is living in fear, after the man allegedly threatened to kill two more members of the family.

The police have thus far failed to apprehend the murder suspect. Members of the community are especially upset about this, claiming that he was seen drinking beer at some of the village’s watering holes since the weekend.

The gogo, Masindi Mphephu (84) of Tshakuma outside Thohoyandou, was killed while working in the fields, allegedly by her son-in-law who later razed her hut to the ground before trying to commit suicide. The son-in-law, who is said to be a former inmate, was allegedly dumped by the granny’s daughter who had sought refuge at the police station after a series of abuses and threats by the suspect.

The incident that has left the community in a state of shock and confusion happened on Friday morning last week. A close family member, Mutshekwa Lerumo, who was at the fields with the deceased when the incident happened, said the suspect followed them to a nearby mountain on that fateful morning. Lerumo said they were surprised to learn from others working there that Masindi had apparently left under duress in the company of the son-in-law, who was not on good terms with her.

“I sensed that something was wrong and we decided to follow after others claimed to have heard cries not far from where we were working. We searched for them, but we lost the tracks. I then rushed to the police and reported the matter,” she said.

The police responded very swiftly and rushed to the mountains, where the granny was found. Lerumo said the police never told them what had happened to the granny, but they just took the children away. “We have been keeping vigil here at the house, hoping for some good news about her, but we became worried when rumours surfaced that she had been found dead in the fields,” she said.

During a visit, Mirror found a group of elderly relatives gathered under a tree next to the burnt hut. They had gathered at the family homestead immediately after news of the incident became known in the village.

The grieving son of the dead granny, Edward Mphephu, said the whole family was saddened by the killing. “We are still in a state of shock. We never thought that the man could go this far. He has left a big scar in our hearts that will take a long time to heal,” he said. Mphephu said the suspect had been giving the family a hard time. “He has been a thorn in the flesh to our family. My sister never had peace and he once took a child away without the consent of the mother,” said Mphephu. He said the family was worried about the fact that the suspect had not been ar-rested yet and could cause them more harm. “Police should arrest this man before he kills again. We cannot have peace before he is safely behind bars; he is capable of more bad things,” he said.

Ward 29 councillor in the Makhado municipality Cllr Rosemary Mufamadi has called upon the community to stay calm and urged couples with differences to seek pro-fessional help rather than kill people as a way of solving their problems. Speaking at the deceased’s family home, she said the youth should rather concentrate on constructive things and not indulge in drugs and alcohol which would destroy their future. She said the municipality was assessing the family and would make the necessary interventions. “I have seen it with my own eyes; the condition of the family is bad and all of us need to stand up and assist the family,” she said.

At the time of going to press, the police were still combing the area for the suspect.

Levubu police spokesman Inspector Solly Mukhola confirmed the incident and said murder and arson charges were being investigated. He said they were not sparing any effort and had dispatched every single man from their ranks in an effort to hunt for the suspect. “We are confident that we will arrest him soon. It is just a matter of time before he is put behind bars where he belongs,” he said.