The grieving family of the murdered Ms. Pfano Mpofu praised the Thohoyandou Magistrate’s Court when bail for Avhurengwi Mukhwathi (36), her alleged killer, was refused.

Mukhwathi, from Matsika village, appeared in court on Friday, 28 June. During the bail application, two detectives attached to the case told the court that Mukhwathi was a flight risk and would not return to court if granted bail. The detectives said that the suspect had committed the murder on 26 February this year and gone into hiding until his arrest on 14 March 2024. They explained how tough tracing him had been as he had hidden in the mountains and near a crocodile-infested river in the area. The detectives also argued that Mukhwathi would intimidate the witnesses as he knew them and had also threatened them before his arrest.

His case was postponed to 16 July for further investigations.

Outside court, family members and community members who came to support the family hailed the court’s decision. The murdered woman’s elder sister, Ms. Phathutshedzo Mpofu, said the court had soothed their broken hearts. “We are still in deep mourning for our departed sister, and this ruthless killer wants to go out and continue maiming more women. He is a monster who caused us a lot of pain. My sister was killed in the most brutal way. The court did well by refusing him bail. He does not deserve to be out with human beings. He must remain in jail until the finalisation of his case. He must actually rot there,” she said.

Mukhwathi's appearance and the denial of his bail stem from an incident that happened on 26 February 2024, when the 29-year-old Ms. Pfano Mpofu from Gondeni Sterkstroom was waylaid and brutally murdered. Mukhwathi and the deceased had lived together at Matsika, but the woman had moved out after some altercations between the two.