Mystery surrounds the grisly discovery of the mutilated body of a woman at Tshabvuma-HaMaragwana.

Community members last saw Mrs Maria Matumba (54) alive on Sunday. She was found murdered early on Monday morning by a member of the public. It is alleged the woman had visible wounds on her face, with her eyes gouged out. It is also rumoured that her private parts had either been tampered with or were missing.

At the victim’s family home, community members had gathered to watch police investigators sift through clothing and other items in search of clues. Police had to restrain people who wanted to get a closer look at what could be found in the house.

There were rumours that the husband of the deceased must have been involved in the murder. He was detained for questioning and was seen assisting the police. He was also seen pointing at some of the clothing that he was wearing

The big question for the community now is whether the woman had been killed for muti, or whether there was any reason behind her brutal murder. Local traditional leader Vhakoma Vho Ntshengedzeni Netshianane was shocked as this has never happened in his village. “We are very saddened by what happened. We thought we were giving sites to good people, but this in-cident proved us wrong,” he said.

The daughter of the deceased, Ms Shoni Nelushi, said the death of her mother had left them in great shock. “We have accepted that she is dead, but the way she died was barbaric and she did not deserve to die like that,” she said. According to her, her mother was a peace-loving person who would not hurt a fly.

Capt Mashudu Malelo, Limpopo police spokesperson in Vhembe, said they had opened a murder case. He acknowledged that they had detained the deceased’s husband and that he was helping in their investigation. “We cannot say the man is arrested as he is assisting us in the investigations. Only when we have evidence to link him to the crime can we formally charge him,” he said.

Malelo appealed to members of the community who might have information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators to furnish it to the police. He said it would be very difficult for police to build a strong case if no evidence surfaced.