ADVERTISEMENT:
News - Date: 22 February 2008
The joy could be cut with a knife in Mukula as village girl Nyelisani Sidimela, who made history when she survived an attack by ritual murderers, came home from hospital.
The woman, who made history three years ago by becoming the first person to survive the blades of vicious ritual murderers, received a warm reception from the community on Tuesday this week.
Sidimela miraculously cheated death after her lips were cut off and she was left for dead in the bushes at Shadani in Makonde but her lover, Maanda Sendedza, was not so lucky. He was found dead at the scene of the incident. The incident took place in 2005.
Sidimela (23) of Makonde village outside Thohoyandou was received by multitudes of community members from Makonde and Mukula at Khosi Mphatele Takalani’s royal palace. The crowd of curious community members waited patiently in the scorching sun just to have a glimpse of the woman.
Despite the fact that it was midweek, one would have thought it was a weekend party as the royal palace was packed to capacity. The moment all were waiting for arrived. Nyelisani emerged from the back of the royal palace, flanked by the MEC for Safety and Security and Liason, Mr Samson Ndou and khosi Vho Mphatele Takalani with other dignitaries in the background.
Elegantly clad in a brown two-piece dress, oozing confidence, she took her seat in the front row of chairs reserved for dignitaries, to the amazement of the excited crowds. Her entry lifted the spirits of the pitiful community members who then began to ululate to the speakers. Those who were picturing a pitiful looking young woman were in for a big surprise; she is full of life, oozing confidence and was at ease to interact with people.
Speaker after speaker at the function called for the need for everyone to take care of Sidimela. MEC Ndou called on all structures in the community to stand up together and fight crime, and more especially the most heinous crimes like ritual murders. He said criminals reside in the community and they are known to the community. "Please help us catch these criminals who are freely roaming the streets," he said. Ndou said he was not at all happy to see Sidimela in her condition.
"This is an act of man; what type of people are we who go all out, mercilessly killing and maiming our own people?" he asked. Ndou said he was happy about the support they were receiving from the community. "Through your support, we managed to score some successes such as the case of Sidimela," he said.
He admitted that they were still having some challenges as some of the cases have not been solved but hinted that the task team appointed to solve these cases had submitted their report, which shows that good results will be yielded soon. Ndou said Sidimela’s case was a lesson to the perpetrators and to the community that God is able to reveal what is hidden. Vhamusanda Vho Mphatele Takalani of Mukula, where Sidimela is staying, pleaded for all to develop a spirit of love amongst themselves. "Let’s all embrace and welcome her; she is one of us, let’s give whatever help we can," he said. He urged police to step up patrols in the area where she will be staying.
Vho Maine Vho Mbilivhili Neluvhola, chairperson of the Vhembe Traditional Health Practitioners, said businesspeople should stop tempting traditional healers into crime by offering large amounts of money for body parts. He also called for his members to desist from prescribing human parts as cure for ailments and a source of luck. Family spokesman Mr David Sidimela said the family was "overwhelmed by the support you have given us; please continue helping us, we cannot do without you," he said.
During an interview with this paper, Nyelisani said it was a miracle that she escaped with her life. "I owe my life to God and I will always be indebted to Him," she said.
Her aunt, Florence Sidimela, said she had changed a lot. "She sometimes wakes me up in the middle of night for a prayer and she goes to church every Sunday," she said. Asked what she would like to do, Nyelisani, who left school at Grade 5, said she wanted to resume from she left off and lead a normal life again.
Suspects who were arrested in connection with the case received terms ranging from six months to life terms. One of the accused, Tshimomo Munyai, has since passed away.
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. He currently writes on a freelance basis, covering human rights issues, court news and entertainment.
Search for a story:
ADVERTISEMENT
The economic conditions in Zimbabwe forced Tanaka Moyo (40) to legally seek greener pastures in Musina. He opted for a unique business plan, selling the wild jujube fruit to make a living. The fruit, called masau in Shona, is better known as mazwilu in Tshivenda.
As the unemployment rate in South Africa continued to rise, a group of women from Makonde village decided to start a community-based project to create job opportunities for themselves. However, it is very difficult to continue with the project without support from the government or the private sector.
At the age of 104, William Masindi Sadiki still has many stories to tell. Some of these are about his experiences during World War II, when he was part of the North Africa campaign. He is one of the few black soldiers from that era still alive, and he proudly pins his war medals on his chest on formal occasions.
The Rivoni School for the Blind in in Njakanjaka village in the Vhembe District has 167 learners from Grade R to Grade 12. The school was started in 2016 by the Rivoni Society for the Blind, founded in June 1975 at Elim Hospital by late Swiss doctor Erwin Sutter. The society later transferred responsibility for the school to the Department of Education.