Her first-born son was recently doused with petrol and set alight, leading to his death in the Malamulele Hospital. Shortly thereafter, granny Sayina Mathebula was told she was the next target.

Unknown people killed Sunnyboy Gavini (40) of Dinga village outside Malamulele, and they are still at large. Now his mother, Ms Sayina Mathebula (72), is living in fear after receiving threatening letters. She is mystified, after receiving a threatening letter last Friday morning.

The baffled granny woke up to find a note near the door, tucked under a stone. “I do not know who has become agitated against me. The contradictory contents on the letters add to the mystery,” she said.

Written in Xitsonga, the letter referred to the recent incident, when her son was doused with petrol and set alight on July 25 this year.

Ten days before Sunnyboy’s attack, unknown people poured petrol on the door of the hut in which his uncle, Reckson Gavini, was sleeping and set it alight. When Reckson came out from the burning hut, he suffered several burns to the head and arms.

“The day after Reckson’s incident, a letter was sent to his home, saying he should move, because the stand on which he was staying did not belong to him,” said Mathebula.

Now a letter sent to the family is a contradiction of the one sent after Reckson suffered burns. It says: “Reckson’s hut was burnt by mistake. We were aiming for Sunnyboy, because we are the uncles of his wife, Violet. He has been abusing our child and you did not do anything about it. Now that we are through with him, you are the next.”

Mathebula says she believes she is the target.

She says Sunnyboy’s wife, who has been staying in Peni Nghotsa village 10km away after her husband died, has not been in dispute with her husband. “Her relatives and I get along well and it is clear that the letter is trying to pull wool over our eyes,” she said.

She has kept the letter to show the police, who did not pitch up until five hours after they were informed about the letter.

She says after Sunnyboy was burnt, he was rushed to hospital in a serious condition, but he mentioned young men from the village as his attackers. They were arrested and later released without being charged, for lack of evidence. “Now we do not know who is against my family and for what reason,” said the shaken granny.

After Reckson’s incident, she got convinced that some in the community did not like her family. “He lost everything but there was no help from anybody, be it civic structures or the municipality,” she said. She says she is praying that her will enemies spare her life.

Police spokesperson inspector Alson Mapindani said the two people who had been arrested were released after investigations failed to link them with the case.

He said investigations were continuing and was not aware of the letter sent to the family.