The lifeless body of a man was found in the early morning hours on Monday in a street at Ha-Makhakhi Block D2 at Mpheni in the Elim area. Not far away from him lay a bottle of beer, and only a small puddle of blood indicated that something was wrong.

For Lufuno Prudence Mukwevho (41) it was a sad start to the week. The man who was found by passersby was her husband, Tshimangadzo David Mukwevho (48).

"He went out at about two o'clock in the afternoon," she says quietly. "He didn't say where he was going. He left me with his younger brother, Ntshengedzeni Godzwana, who had come to visit us. But he normally drank at the local supermarket and returned at around 23:00 in the night."

By the middle of the night, David hadn't come home yet. Lufuno says she was woken up by the noise of barking dogs outside, and she picked up her cell phone to check the time. It was past 02:00. Although he rarely did so, she thought he might have gone to sleep over at one of his friends' houses.

"In the morning, an electrician came to fix our television and I took it out to the stoep where he could work on it," she tells. "I went back into the house. But soon after that I was called to come out. A man I knew well had arrived and was talking with the electrician. He stopped immediately when he saw me. He asked me where my husband was and I answered that he had gone out for fishing - since that was what David liked us to tell people."

The man told Lufuno that he was only inquiring about David's whereabouts since there was a male person lying dead in the street, but he was not sure if it was David. The electrician went out with the man who had brought the news, to see for himself what was happening. Within seconds, Lufuno and Ntshengedzeni rushed out of the home and headed in the direction of the incident.

"We found a large group of people standing around," she says. "I came closer and peered down to see. And ... look, lying down there was my husband. If the people who did this wanted money, then they should have taken such from him and lefthim alone. The police also came and took him away to do tests that will determine the cause of his death. There was only a small area with blood on the ground from where he was lifted."

The deceased's mother is disillusioned with the work of the police in cases where people are found dead in and around Mpheni. She came all the way from her home in Nzhelele to see her son lying dead on the stony ground. "Culprits walk the streets freely," she moans angrily. "I am without words. I did not nurse my son, he was not sick. There's no justice in our country. This is not the first case of this nature here in Mpheni."

Sipho Masuka, Ward 15's councillor, emphasises the point that no person has the right to take another person's life. He says the government and the church must join hands to fight the demon of murder, especially in Mpheni, where someone is killed every weekend . "Human life is very important," he continues. "Alcohol abuse, school dropouts, the lack of adequate access to roads, improper housing, unemployment and poverty are some of the worst evils in our area. They all contribute to the high level of crime. Schools must emphasise the importance of ubuntu, and as adults we all have a responsibility to build a good society. Another problem is [that] much of Mpheni is without electricity. We need street lamps in some dark areas of our village.  It's painful to lose your loved ones. I send my sincerest condolences to the bereaved family."

On Monday morning, Lufuno's seven-year-old son, Evans, demanded money for school and when Lufuno said she did not have any, he grabbed the last R2 coin which was on top of the headboard drawer. She then warned him that she had meant to buy a box of matches with it.

"He answered that the money was his father's," she says while her voice trails into painful sobs and tears. "I told him he mustn't behave like that because he wouldn't be seeing his father again. It's painful. My husband wasn't ill. Those responsible for my husband's killing will pay for it one of these days. God will answer me."

Waterval police spokesperson W/O Kedibone Mabatha confirmed the incident. "We found the deceased's corpse lying on the ground," he states. "Not far away from him was a bottle of beer. We have opened an inquest docket. We are waiting for the post mortem results. Now we can't say much."

Ntshengedzeni is survived by his wife and four children, Mulalo (15), Stanley (13), Thivhileli (9) and Evans(7). He will be laid to rest over the weekend at the Ha-Makhakhi cemetery, Mpheni.