The rural community of Duthuni, outside Thohoyandou, was shattered on Monday, when a 12-year-old girl on her way from school was mercilessly attacked and killed by an unknown man.

The father of the girl said only the imposition of the death penalty would soothe his broken heart. Mr Nelson Nedambale poured his heart out to Mirror during a visit to his home on Tuesday afternoon. His daughter, Madilonga Phathutshedzo Nedambale, who was in Grade 7 at Tshisahulu, travelled to school with her younger sister, Mulalo (9), on Monday. Little did they know that it was going to be her last walk with her younger sister. Not far from their home, the worst happened and they were both attacked by an unknown man, who stabbed both of them with a sharp instrument.

The younger sister managed to run away, bleeding heavily, but, sadly, the elder sister was killed. The younger girl managed to run to her home, though she was badly injured and she informed her parents. Young Phathutshedzo was found sprawled, lying on her back with a big wound to her chest, in the path leading to the village. Mr Nedambale, a mechanic, said he was home at about 14:15 when his little daughter came running and shouting that somebody had attacked them on the way from school. “I did not have much time to ask questions, but I could see that my daughter was badly injured. I could only hear her saying that she had left her elder sister at the nearby orchard and I rushed straight there,” he said. Nedambale said he would never forget what he saw there.

“My daughter died a terrible death. She had stab wounds and she was covered in blood. I will never forget the ordeal my daughter went through before her death and I just wish that the killer be found and be tried in a court of law,” he said. He said the killer had dealt the family a terrible blow as the girl had been the one chosen to perform rituals. The name Madilonga was inherited from her grandmother. “Phathutshedzo was the darling of the family and she will be sorely missed,” said her sad father. “Government should re-impose the death penalty. Imagine a 12-year-old girl just being killed for nothing. The perpetrator should be punished by death - an eye for an eye,” he said. Mr Bardwell Mufunwaini, the chairperson of Munna Ndi Nnyi Men’s Forum, who also visited the family and the scene where it happened, condemned the murder as barbaric.

“We no longer expect such heinous behaviour from men in this age. We assume that all men now know that they are there to protect their families, their children and their wives and not to abuse them and kill them,” he said. He said there was a need for education in the community as there were still men who regarded the lives of children and women as cheap.

“We need to go out there and preach this gospel that people should have respect for human life. Real men do not kill but protect,” he said. The area where the two were attacked is notorious as four people were allegedly murdered, four raped and one nearly raped there in the past. Limpopo police spokesperson in Vhembe Capt Mashudu Malelo confirmed the incident. He said the deceased had a stab wound to her chest, which could have been made by a sharp instrument. The younger one was stabbed in the forehead.

“We have opened a murder and an attempted-murder case and we are appealing to anyone who might have information to please assist us in breaking this case,” he said.