The number of deaths at taverns and bottle stores in the Madombidzha area keeps on rising, with yet another young man being stabbed to death on Sunday, 17 April.

Emmanuel Masikhwa (25) was killed after an incident at the Maemu bottle store, known as Livhoneni, where he was allegedly stabbed in the chest after a fight with a group of boys, called Zwikhaya, who had been terrorising the community.

The spokesperson for the police, Brig Motlafela Mojapelo, confirmed the incident and said that the police were still not sure what the reason for the fight had been. “The deceased and a group of boys were reportedly arguing. One of the suspects allegedly stabbed the deceased in the chest with a sharp object,” Mojapelo said. At the scene of the crime, community members had immediately provided the police with information, which led to the arrest of 22-year-old Tendamudzimu Magoro the following day (18 April).

Magoro appeared in the Tshilwavhusiku Magistrate’s Court on 19 April. His case was postponed to 26 April for further investigation.

According to a cousin of the deceased, Ms Mulalo Masikhwa, Emmanuel was attacked and stabbed several times by the group of boys, who wielded knives and pangas. She said that her cousin’s death had left the family with deep emotional scars. “We want to see severe punishment. The accused must pay for what he has done. He must rot in jail where he belongs,” she said.

Cllr Cedrick Malange fell out of favour with the youths the moment he blamed their actions on “peer pressure”. “We are very concerned about the killings in our area. We had four similar murder cases here in the past, where two people had been killed in this fashion in two months,” he said. In March this year, Thendo Makhokha was also killed at a tavern where a group of boys stabbed him to death. “They were all in or coming from drinking spots. Stop what you are doing now, or else you might live to regret your actions,” he warned.