The brutal murder of an elderly woman in Mokopane, Limpopo, has infuriated the local community, which has vowed to drive out undocumented foreigners.
The elderly woman’s agonising wailing on Sunday afternoon alerted the neighbourhood. A 40-year-old Zimbabwean man hired to do renovations allegedly attacked her.
Hlashila Mphukubye was found dead on the ground, having suffered multiple stab wounds and being struck with a hoe. Her body was tied with ropes and covered in blood
The attacker lived in Mahwelereng, Zone 2, as a tenant in a neighbour’s yard.
Moloko Mphukubye, the deceased’s son, expressed his sorrow in an interview with Sunday World.
Noting that his mother was killed for no apparent reason, he said that the brutal murder had left him with emotional scars.
Strange behaviour
“We hardly knew this Zimbabwean man until recently. He was hired to do some minor renovations on our house,” said Moloko.
“We paid him a deposit, but instead he showed shoddy workmanship.
“Before he could finish the work, he started behaving strangely; at times he would start praying and shouting bizarre words.
“On Friday, he told my younger brother that my mother would be healed of arthritis in three days, and three days later, he murdered her. Maybe this was premeditated murder.”
The murder has shaken the township and its surrounding villages.
Mass mobilisation
Angry community members have agreed, according to Mosima Rambuda, the leader of a civic organisation, that undocumented foreigners should leave the area.
“We have started with community mobilisation to evict these [undocumented] immigrants because of a series of criminal acts,” said Rambuda.
“They commit these heinous crimes and get away with murder. The police are unable to track them down. The last resort for us is to force them out of our neighbourhoods.”
Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba, a spokesperson for the provincial police, confirmed that a Zimbabwean had been taken into custody and was currently being charged with murder.
Numerous stab wounds
“According to the initial reports, a worried neighbour who heard the commotion rushed to the house to help and discovered the victim lying outside the house tied with a rope and suffering from numerous stab wounds,” said Mashaba.
“He immediately contacted the police and emergency services. Upon their arrival, paramedics certified the victim dead at the scene.”
Quickly following the attack, the detectives identified and captured the suspect. Further investigations are ongoing to uncover the circumstances surrounding the murder.
Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe, the provincial police commissioner, expressed shock and indignation over the senseless killing.
It is anticipated that the suspect will go before the Mahwelereng magistrate’s court to answer a murder charge.
