Bloody weekend in Gumbani village as two youths die

A fun night out with friends turned fatal for two young people from Gumbani, who died in separate incidents in the early hours of Sunday, 8 August. Both incidents happened during a music bash that was held at a local tavern in the village, with various artists performing.

In the first incident, a 13-year-old girl, who was later identified as Shell Djaki, died after she was hit by a speeding taxi whose driver was allegedly trying to flee from a group of angry men. The driver allegedly got involved in a fight at the John Ash tavern and was trying to escape. The incident happened at around 03:00 in the morning.

According to Ms Tidimalo Chuene, spokesperson for the Department of Transport, the driver, identified as Matimba Trevor Manganyi (35), allegedly got into the minibus after the fight at the tavern and drove off at a high speed. A few metres from the tavern, he hit the girl, who died instantly. “At the scene, all relevant stakeholders were summoned and the driver was taken in by the police for questioning,” Chuene said.

Around the same time, 23-year-old Hlamulo Baloyi from Giyani 14B, a learner at the local Khatisa High School, found himself in deep trouble. Hlamulo had apparently rented a room in Gumbani to be closer to his school. Information supplied to us indicates that he went to the music bash at the tavern for a night out with friends. A fight allegedly broke out with a group of unknown men at the tavern and he ran back to his rented room, his assailants in hot pursuit. The five attackers caught up with him at the house where he was staying and allegedly dragged him into the road, where they stabbed him to death. The landlord, Ms Nkhensani Macebele, tried to stop the attackers from entering the yard but was also stabbed and injured. Her house’s windows were also smashed during the fracas.

Macebele could not hide her grief. “This is very painful. His parents entrusted him to my care, so he could be closer to his school. Now he is gone, and I do not even know how to look his parents in the eye or what to tell them,” she cried. “My prayer is that the police catch these killers and put them away behind bars for good.”

According to Limpopo police spokesperson Col Malesela Ledwaba, Hlamulo was found with multiple injuries to his body. “The deceased had two stab wounds on his left leg. The suspects are not known at this time, but one suspected person has been detained.”

The local traditional leader, Ndhuna Hasani Siyani, expressed his shock over these incidents and said he was worried about liquor outlets that were not adhering to the stipulated operating times.

Col Ledwaba confirmed that, regarding Hlamulo’s case, the police had opened a murder docket, while a case of culpable homicide was opened in respect of Shell Djaki’s case.

News - Date: 12 August 2022

Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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