Limpopo community kingpin’s tragic life brought to an end by 28 bullets

Elmon Tshikhudo

Nale Samuel Munyai, a man who lived a complicated life defined by injustice, was found murdered on Friday with a total of 28 bullet wounds.

Munyai, 44, once faced a terrible injustice at the hands of the legal system. But he then went on to allegedly become the thing he was allegedly falsely accused of being: a violent criminal.

In the years leading up to his death, many residents in the Thohoyandou area accused Munyai of fuelling the violence which has plagued the troubled neighbourhood.

His body was found on Friday, wrapped in plastic and hidden away in the bushes in the mountains at Tshidzivhe, many kilometres from his home.

Some community members, who wish to remain anonymous, have alleged that corrupt police officers in Thohoyandou operated alongside the area’s criminal gangs. This was allegedly from a business called Jerusalem Paradise, of which Munyai was a director.

Others have alleged that Munyai would allegedly prey upon the owners of local Indian businesses, burgling their homes for valuables, as well as forcing them to pay him a protection fee.

He owned a bar, a restaurant and a mashonisa business, all operating from the same building.

But before allegedly creating this criminal enterprise, Munyai spent a year and a half in prison for a murder he had not committed.

He said that he started his businesses with R900,000 he received after successfully suing the SAPS for wrongful arrest.

Munyai had been missing for a week but no missing person’s case was opened. 

Sources close to the incident said he apparently received a call while at home. CCTV cameras at his home allegedly showed him on his phone, then going to a car that was waiting outside.

Residents said Munyai was very careful and would not go with people he didn’t know.

Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo confirmed that a 44-year-old man was found dead, with his body wrapped in plastic.

“A murder case has been opened. At this stage, the motive for the killing is still the subject of investigation.”

Anyone with information is requested to contact Detective Sergeant Maanda Christopher Sumbana at 072 267 7346 or Crime Stop.

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