Elmon Tshikhudo
He suspected that his girlfriend was cheating on him and went berserk.
The man from Matavhela village, Mutale in Limpopo took their three-year-old daughter and bashed her head as vengeance on Thursday.
The little girl died and the alleged killer attempted suicide.
The father is alleged to have gone to his girlfriend’s home at Dzwerani in the Vuwani area and then taken the young girl to his home village.
There he allegedly bashed her head with a hammer, killing her instantly and then putting her tiny body in the boot of his car.
He disappeared to the nearby mountains.
The village headman Mashudu Shandukani who was at the scene said he was called by members of the community.
“On arrival I found people gathered but could not even look at the bloodied body in the boot,” he said.
After calling the police, they looked for the killer and found a rope hanging from a tree, Shandukani said.
The man was spotted at the neighbouring village of Tshidongololwe where the community and the police tried to apprehend him. But he allegedly fought back, hitting a police officer with a stone and badly injuring him.
“We are still in shock as this has never happened here in our village. He allegeddly killed the girl to spite the mother with the intention of committing suicide after that,” Shandukani said.
Limpopo police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo confirmed the case and said the suspect will appear in court soon.
Bardwell Mufunwaini of the Munna Ndi Nnyi Men’s Forum said the organisation was disturbed by the tragedy.
“He is not one of us. Men are supposed to be protectors of their families and if faced with family challenges should share with professionals who would help them,” he said.
