The partly decomposed body of an old lady hung motionless from the branch of the Munombelo tree. A pair of running shoes lay innocently next to the body. A container of snuff (khambana ya fola) and a waist towel rested peacefully on a small branch just next to the body.

That was the horrifying discovery by a community member who was chopping wood in the mountain at Makonde village, north of Thohoyandou, on Saturday. The deceased was later identified as Ms Masindi Mutwanamba (75) of Mulodi village, in the Mutale area. The incident happened not far away from where Maanda Sendedza was brutally murdered for muti a few years ago.

Masindi’s death has raised more questions than answers with curious community members who ascended the mountain after news of the old lady’s death spread like wildfire. It is still a mystery how the old lady ended up in the mountain, so far away from her home.

The shocked community member who discovered Masindi’s body trembled with shock when he told his story: “I woke up in the morning with an unusual feeling. I ignored the feeling and decided to go to the mountain to chop some wood. After chopping a few pieces of wood, I decided to climb up the mountain again to get more wood. When I looked at the Munombelo tree next to me, I saw the partly decomposed body of an old woman hanging from the branch of a tree. At first I thought I was dreaming. When I looked again, I realized that what I saw was real. I ran for dear life towards the headman’s palace.”

He said after he had informed the headman, they went back to the mountain with other community members. “I stood some metres away and pointed at the scene, because I did not want to see the tragedy again. That was the most gruesome incident I have ever seen in my life. The memory will stick in my mind until I die.”

Community leader Fulufhelo Nedzingahe, who was also at the scene, is worried that the ritual murder actions might be resurfacing in the area. “It is clear that the old lady was murdered somewhere and hanged in the mountain. Judging by her age, she would not have been able to climb the steep slopes and jungle around the tree branches to hang herself. Besides that, her legs were touching the ground, implying that she was left there after she died. We will definitely find the people behind all this. The community of Makonde will not rest until the perpetrators are brought to book. People must learn that they will never become rich by killing innocent community members. It is only through hard work that fortune is assembled.”

Regional police spokesperson Capt Mashudo Malelo said an inquest docket had been opened.