LIMPOPO – Tensions ran high in Ramantsha, Sinthumule last Tuesday as outraged residents marched to the Tshilwavhusiku Police Station, demanding justice for 11-year-old Adivhaho Mulamavu, whose unresolved murder has left the community angry.

Major roads D3715 and D959 were barricaded from the early hours of the morning, halting public transport and resulting in school closures throughout Ramantsha and nearby areas. The protest disrupted daily operations until the roads were reopened around 07:00.

Adivhaho, a Gr 6 learner at Manau Primary School, was last seen on September 15, 2024 when she left home in the morning to sell tomatoes in the village. When she had not returned by 14:00, her family began a frantic search. Their worst fears were confirmed the following morning when her lifeless body was found hanging from a rope in a nearby field.

Residents, led by community members including Innocent Rapalo, voiced frustration at what they described as police inaction. Rapalo claimed that the community had given the police the names of potential suspects but no arrests had followed.

“We have long believed that Adivhaho was raped and murdered. We gave the police the names of those we suspect, but nothing has been done,” he said.

Police spokesperson Warrant Officer Vuledzani Dathi acknowledged that a 45-year-old man had been brought in for questioning shortly after the incident, but that he was released.

Dathi confirmed that investigators are awaiting DNA test results that may provide a crucial link to the crime. Preliminary findings suggest that Adivhaho may have been sexually assaulted before being strangled.

In response to the protest, the station commander of the Tshilwavhusiku police, Colonel Tshililo Mukoma, accepted a memorandum from protestors and assured them that the police would formally respond within seven working days.