‘Yhoo, auntie! My mother’s head!’ – Limpopo teen discovers beheaded mother in family home

"Yhoo, Auntie! My mother's head!" Those were the harrowing words of a boy, 18, who called his aunt in panic over a phone call after allegedly discovering the lifeless body of his mother.

Ramukumba Portia Motodzi, 42, was murdered over the weekend.

Her husband has been arrested in connection with her brutal murder.

The husband is accused of decapitating the victim and chopping off her left hand using a panga. 

Speaking about the horrific ordeal, Aluwani Mutengwe recounted receiving the news of her older sister's untimely death. 

Mutengwe, who lives in Gauteng, said she had tried contacting her sister on the day of the murder.

“Since 10 am on Saturday, I had been calling her, but all her phones were off... until around 12pm we managed to get hold of the child," she told IOL News.

It was at that point that the family started to worry about Motodzi's whereabouts.

Motodzi's 18-year-old son then began searching for his mother.

Limpopo police confirmed that the incident occurred at Tshidzini Mutshili village, under the Tshaulu policing area, on Saturday, August 2, at about 12:50 pm.

"He said he had looked almost everywhere but still could not find her," Aluwani said.

The teenage boy eventually returned home and encountered his father, the accused, walking out of the gate.

"When he asked his father where his mother was, the man allegedly became aggressive, threatened to hit him, and then started beating him with stones,” she said.

The man allegedly fled the scene afterwards.

Aluwani explained that the attack happened simply because the boy had asked about his mother's whereabouts.

"He said that he still could not find her as he entered the yard… He then said to me that he was going to break a window to get inside the house.

She said the boy told him that he would use a spade to open the door; however, the spade broke, and he used a steel rod instead.

It was at that moment that the boy screamed in shock at what he never imagined he would see with his own eyes.

“Immediately after he opened the door, I just heard him screaming ‘Yhoo, Antie! My mother’s head!”

“He sounded like the first thing he saw when he entered the room was her mother’s head... the hand was also cut off," said Aluwani.

“He said he found blood everywhere... It was a pool of blood. It's very painful. We don't even know where to start, what to do, or how to face the husband's family."

Aluwani said that after the discovery of the gruesome murder, she told the boy to call for help from the local community, and the police were then called to the scene.

Aluwani, who said she had travelled from Gauteng after the incident and arrived on Sunday morning. 

According to Aluwani, the couple, who had married in 2006, had a long history of conflicts, with the husband allegedly abusing the wife. The couple had three sons, aged 18, eight, and four.

"That man was abusing my sister in almost every way. They fought a lot. He was beating her almost all the time and insulting her in front of the children."

She said the husband had filed for divorce in July this year, but the process had not yet been finalised.

"We want justice for my sister. What happened to her was heartbreaking and brutal. All we ask is that he spend the rest of his life in prison.”

Meanwhile, Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Hlulani Mashaba confirmed that the man, 48, was arrested in connection with the brutal murder of his wife.

He said the police and members of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) certified Matodzi dead upon their arrival at the scene. 

“The deceased sustained severe injuries on the upper body, and her left hand was also cut off during the horrific incident,” he said.

Mashaba said a murder case was opened following the incident, and the suspect was arrested later that same day.

“The motive of the incident is currently unknown at this stage, but domestic violence cannot be ruled out.”

Mashaba added that the man is expected to appear before the local Magistrate's court soon, facing a charge of murder.

simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za

IOL News