Masisi Police have issued a stern warning to community members not to tamper with crime scenes. The warning comes after the death of Khakhathi Masikhwa, 61, a well-known community leader, a farmer and an established businessman in Ha-Tshenzhelani Madimbo Corridor, a protected area outside Musina in the Limpopo Province.

Masikhwa, who was serving the community in various positions,was trampled to death by an elephant.

According to his family, he was coming from the Limpopo River where he had been fishing, but police are not buying the story as they believe something was being hidden in the information that was given to them.

They suspect the dead man could have been poaching animals, as there is a high rate of poaching in the area.

The dead man’s close friend, Mahwasane Mudzweda, said the man left for fishing in the Limpopo River and after a day of fishing he and another man met a rampaging elephant that attacked them. It is alleged that, in the fracas, the two took different directions and the elephant followed Masikhwa and killed him

“The other person who was with him ran to the nearby mountain and shouted the deceased’s name, but could get an answer. He went back to the place where the incident happened, only to find the trampled body of his friend, whereupon he ran home and alerted family and community members who went straight to the spot where the man was killed.”

Later, family members as well as members of the community went to the scene and took the body away.

Asked why they had not notified the police, they said they felt police would take a long time before they responded and since the area was infested with wild animals, they thought the body would be eaten.

“The community is saddened by his tragic death because he contributed a lot in the village,” said Mudz-weda.

After learning of the incident, the police station commissioner at Masisi, Capt Thivhulawi Mugeri, dispatched police members to the scene and they commenced with the investigations. He sent a stern warning to the community not to interfere with scenes where crime has taken place.

“Communities must report any death that is not caused by natural factors,” said Mugeri.

He said police were surprised that the dead man was in a protected area when he was mowed down by the animal.

“We are also surprised why the body was taken away before police were notified,” he said, adding that police were going to arrest those who took the body away before notifying the police. Mugeri confirmed there had been many incidents of poaching in the area and called on communities to stay away from the bush as they might fall prey to wild animals.

“We are now making an appeal to our communities not venture into these thick bushes as we are still going to encounter a lot of problems of this nature. Let us work together as community and the police and we shall root out all the poaching in the area.”

As soon as word spread of his death, the whole community of Tshenzhelani and the greater Madimbo area was plunged into deep mourning.

Civic leader Fistos Mafela said they had lost a great man, who was always ready to share whatever he had and he was always willing to assist those in need. “He still had a very valuable contribution to make in the land claim as we have not yet received the title deed of the claimed land,” he said.

Masikhwa was the chairperson of the Madimbo Communal Properties Association, a committee that fought selflessly for the return of land that was taken away from the rightful owners. His dreams of returning to his ancestral land had not yet been realized as he had not yet received a title deed, but he coincidentally died on the land he and the whole community had wanted back.

Capt Mugeri said an inquest docket had been opened. He said they were also investigating a defeating-the-ends-of-justice case against those who took the body. “We are appealing to members of the community who might have information about the incident to come to the fore and help us in our investigations, “he said.