An alleged quarrel over a phone call between two lovers ended in tragedy when a man was hit with a brick and died instantly.

The gruesome incident happened at a busy shopping complex at Thohoyandou last Thursday.

The man, Nyadzani Mashamba (32), who was in the company of his girlfriend, is alleged to have complained about call that she had received. After speaking for a while, an argument developed between the two. It is said that the argument was over who had phoned.

Mashamba is said to have suspected that his girlfriend was speaking to another lover and grabbed the phone from the woman. The woman then allegedly shouted at the top of her voice that the man was assaulting her and two men came running to rescue her. On of the men hit Mashamba at the back of the head, killing him instantly, before disappearing with the brick.

Eyewitnesses selling their wares next to the scene were tightlipped.

The body of Mashamba lay on the tarmac for more than three hours, waiting for forensic pathologists and other experts to conduct their site investigations.

Second to be assaulted was the girlfriend, whom the crowds pointed out and bayed for her blood, claiming that she was the one who had caused the death of the young man. On realizing what had happened, the woman cried hysterically, running around the crowd. It was at that stage that onlookers realized that she was the woman who had been fingered as allegedly having caused the death of Mashamba. One of the onlookers shouted that she should be killed as she had caused the death of an innocent person.

Although she was assaulted by the mob, the police’s swift action saved her from the incensed crowd. They had to protect her by locking her in the police van. The crowd tried to block the van, but police managed to drive away with the woman and her friend inside.

This prompted police to send a stern warning to people not to take the law into their own hands. Capt Mashudu Malelo, Limpopo police spokesperson in Vhembe, came out strongly against people taking the law into their own hands.

Malelo condemned the action of the crowd. “People should leave everything in the hands of police and the courts,” said Malelo. He said police would never tolerate such behaviour and would lock up those who were involved in such behaviour.

Malelo said a woman had been detained for questioning and he said more arrests were expected.

Masshamba hailed from Tshisahulu outside Thohoyandou, and he arrived only three days before from his work place in Gauteng, where he was employed with the transport department.

Nnditsheni Ranwedzi, who is a close friend of Mashamba, said the incident shocked him and the family. He said his friend had been home for only three days from Gauteng. He said the friend had one child with the woman, and that it was sad that his friend has to die in such a cruel way. “He was really a good man who would not hurt a fly. What makes it more painful is that no one is prepared to shed light on what actually happened. We just hope that police will do their job and bring whoever is responsible to book,” he said.