The recent death and discovery of the body of a 33-year-old man at Mavambe near Malamulele plunged the area and other nearby communities into turmoil, as angry youths barricaded the road between Thohoyandou and Malamulele.

Cars were stoned as youths went beserk and demanded the arrest of a Thulamela municipal official at Dovheni Village, whom they linked to the murder of Ms Grace Baloyi, whose body was recently found in a mealie field with vital organs like breasts, lips and private parts missing in what is believed to be a case of ritual murder.

The dead man, Stanley Hlengani Hlungwani, was working in Tzaneen as a security guard. His father, Alfred Hlungwani, said his son came home on Friday for the funeral of Jonas Bila, a close friend. He said he left home in the evening for a night vigil, never to return home. "We heard news that there was a person in the trench next to the main road to Thohoyandou, but never thought it could be our own son. We were shocked to find that the person they were talking about was my son,” said the grieving father.

The incident enraged some youths, who linked this case to the recent ritual murder at Mavambe and the death of a 75-year-old pensioner, Tsatsawani Meceke, who was found murdered at Mahonisi with her private parts missing.

The dead body of Stanley Hlungawni lay in the ditch for hours before it was retrieved as there was an exchange of stones and rubber bullets between the enraged mob and the police.

A local nearby shop, owned by an Indian businessman, was apparently looted and there were reports of injuries to police members, who were pelted with stones by the angry mob.

Hlungwani´s body was taken to Malamulele mortuary. The father and some members of the community were allowed to go and to ascertain if some body parts were missing. A local leader said: ”All the parts seemed intact. He appeared to be bleeding after apparently being hit with an object. His cell phone is also missing.”

Police went on a house-to-house searchfor the goods that were looted at the local shop, but at most households police found no one as they had fled to nearby bushes.

The chairman of the Mavambe Crisis Committee, Daniel Chauke, said there was a breakdown of relations with the police. “They say they will no longer work with us and have also threatened to arrest our chief after he talked at the funeral of the slain granny. He said people in his area would not vote in the coming elections, because police are unable to solve the cases of ritual murder in his area,” said Chauke.