ADVERTISEMENT:
News - Date: 27 February 2004
MAKHADO (LOUIS TRICHARDT) - The murder weapon used to wipe out almost an entire family last weekend was confiscated twice by the police and handed back to the perpetrator, just a week before the incident.
A senior interpreter at the Magistrate's court in Makhado (Louis Trichardt), Mr Stanley Rangata (58), his wife Lulu (56), a teacher at the primary school in Muduluni, and their son Kgati (28), a cerebral palsy sufferer, died in the tragedy. Mr Rangata served as interpreter for many years and was widely known in the district.
The bodies of the three victims of a shocking instance of apparent domestic violence were discovered at Muduluni in the Kutama area at almost the exact time that the MEC for Safety and Security, Ms Dikeledi Magadzi, called on members of the public to actively assist the police in the fight against domestic violence, at a gathering at Nzhelele.
The bodies were discovered at about 12:00 on Saturday, in Kgati's locked bedroom at the family home. The TV was still playing.
According to police spokesmen, the tragedy most probably took place late on Friday night. Kgati died in his bed. He was shot in the head. His mother's body lay close by, on the floor of the room. Stanley allegedly shot himself in the head after killing his wife and son. His pistol was found close to him.
The murder weapon was in the possession of the police twice, and the murdered Mrs Rangate officially requested protection for her family against Mr Rangate on several occasions.
The family had a long history of domestic troubles. According to the police, Mr Rangata's firearm was first confiscated last year, when his wife obtained a restraining order to protect her and her family. The court allegedly returned the firearm to him, after charges against him were withdrawn. Earlier this year, Mrs Rangata requested a renewed restraining order. Mr Rangata was consequently arrested on February 13, on a warrant issued after he had allegedly contravened the restraining order. The police confiscated his motor vehicle and his firearm when he was taken into custody at the police station in Tshilvhawusiku. According to the police, charges were once again dropped and his vehicle and firearm were returned to him on his release. Seven days later, the same firearm was apparently used to kill his family and himself.
Members of the public this week expressed surprise at the fact that there had been no effective intervention to remove a firearm permanently from the possession of a person repeatedly implicated in the threatening of his family.
The office of the MEC for Safety and Security was contacted to comment on the tragedy and the astonishing sequence of events which led up to it. At the time of going to press, no reaction has been received.
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.