An incident of alleged grave desecration has shocked the residents of the villages of Shanzha and Dopeni. They fear that a trend in the cities, where nyaope addicts dig up graves, has found its way to the rural areas, where burial sites are considered sacred.

On Tuesday, the police in Siloam arrested a 30-year-old suspect, Lidzebe Thabelo, after he was found digging a hole near his sister’s grave in Shanzha village. The incident occurred at around 20:00.

Police spokesperson in Vhembe W/O Vuledzani Dathi said the events unfolded when Thabelo’s grandmother, Budeli Thinavhuyo, noticed her grandson behaving strangely.

“On Monday, he left home carrying a pick and spade, claiming he was going to do piece jobs. However, her suspicions grew when he left with the same tools the following morning,” said Dathi. Thinavhuyo informed her granddaughter, who decided to follow him to the cemetery.

“At the cemetery, the complainant and other villagers found Thabelo dressed in a yellow tracksuit, digging up his sister’s grave. When confronted, Thabelo claimed he was digging at the grave to place flowers, but no flowers were found. Instead, he had only an empty mealie meal bag. The police were called immediately, and Thabelo was arrested on the spot,” said Dathi.

Thabelo has been charged with grave violation and was set to appear in the Thohoyandou Magistrate's Court on Wednesday. “This incident has deeply affected the community, where such acts of disrespect towards the deceased are considered highly offensive,” Dathi added.

However, community members suspect that Thabelo’s intentions may have been more sinister. Mr. Phathutshedzo Mukhaninga, a community representative, expressed the villagers’ outrage and concern: “We are very hurt by what Thabelo was [allegedly] doing to his sister's grave. We suspected that he wanted to sell the bones, but we cannot rule out the fact that there is a new trend of nyaope addicts mixing human bones with drugs.”

This suspicion is tied to a disturbing trend in places such as Atteridgeville, Pretoria, where nyaope addicts have been found crushing human bones from desecrated graves and mixing them with the drug to enhance its potency. Although there is no direct evidence linking Thabelo to this practice, the community fears that drug abuse may have influenced his shocking actions.

Mukhaninga also revealed that Thabelo had a known history of drug use, which heightened fears in the community. “It’s devastating to think that someone could go as far as disturbing the resting place of their loved ones, all because of drugs,” Mukhaninga said. “This is a tragedy for both the family and the community.”

In a trending video of the incident, an unknown woman can be heard accusing Thabelo of drug use. When asked if he smokes, Thabelo reportedly responds by saying he does not have friends.

The Siloam police are continuing their investigation, but the incident has raised serious concerns about the safety of graves in the area. Desecrating graves is a profound violation of cultural and moral values in Shanzha, where respect for the dead is sacred. “Graves are holy places for us,” remarked a local elder. “What happened here is unforgivable, and we hope the authorities take this matter very seriously.”

This is not the first incident of grave desecration in Vhembe. In September 2017, five suspects, including two traditional healers, were arrested for allegedly violating graves, stealing body parts, and selling them. The incidents took place at Tshitavha-Sambandou and Folovhodwe.

Thabelo appeared in the Thohoyandou Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, 9 October. At the time of our going to press, his hearing had not yet been concluded.