A defenceless gogo was mercilessly butchered to death at Ha Mutsha-Tshidivhani outside Louis Trichardt on Thursday evening, only a few days after the Vhembe community was shocked when an enraged policeman allegedly shot and killed his wife and held his son captive at Tshififi. Gogo Avheani Tshamano Nevhutalu (in her 60s) was asleep in her room with other family members in their rooms at about 21:30 when unknown attackers entered their house. She was killed and her daughter seriously injured in the attack and she is still nursing her injuries at a local hospital. Although the facts surrounding the attack are still extremely sketchy, the room in which she was killed was in disarray and the walls were spattered with blood, which shows that the attack was vicious. The bed in which she slept was soaked in blood, the wardrobe doors were wide open and the whole room was ransacked. A family member, Mashudu Netshifhire, said they were asleep when the attackers entered their house. She said she heard her elder sister being ordered to keep quiet by the intruders. “I could sense there was trouble as the voices were not friendly. This made shiver and I decided to hide in my room,“ she said. She said the noise moved to her granny’s room, where she heard the thugs demanding money from her. “I heard her showing them the money, but it seemed they wanted more, which she did not have, and after a while there was no noise in her room,” she said. She waited for help from the outside and that was when she knew it was safe to go out. Mr Phineas Nevhutalu, also a close family member, said the killers might have gained entry through an open window. He described the killers as sadists as they could have taken everything from her without having to use violence. “She was a defenceless old granny who could not offer any resistance and the killers could have removed whatever they wanted without having to kill her. They are heartless and do not deserve to live with people,” he said. He said the death has left them devastated and sad. "The granny was looking after all these children and we do not know what is to become of them. She was everything to the family and now that she is gone, they have to fend for themselves,” he said. Nevhutalu said they were just hoping that police would do their part and make sure that the culprits were brought to book and answered for their actions. Cllr Ntshengedzeni Matodzi, councillor for Ward 27 in the Makhado Municipal Council, said the prevalence of vicious crimes in the community is a source of great concern. He said crimes such as rape, assault and housebreaking were very common in the area. “As leaders, we are very concerned about the death of defenseless people. We feel that the community has to stand up and join police in the fight against crime. We cannot just sit down and watch while our people are being killed,” he said. Matodzi said they were looking at ways of reviving the neighbourhood watch and street committees that would make it difficult for criminals to infiltrate the community. At this stage, it is not known what instrument was used to kill the granny, but a pick handle was found at the scene, apparently left by the attackers. Gogo Nevhutalu will be buried on Saturday. The incident caused unease in the community and a community meeting was held on Sunday. The local ward councilor called for unity and an intensification of the fight against crime by the community, in conjunction with the police. WO Solly Mukhola of the Levubu police said they had opened a murder and attempted murder case, following the incident. He appealed to the community to furnish police with all the necessary information that could help them apprehend the perpetrators. “With the support we are getting from our communities, it will be just a matter of time before we catch up with the thugs. Our communities have always been very supportive in the past and we hope they will do the same here,” he said.