LOMAHASHA traditional leaders have urged residents to speak out whenever they have domestic challenges.
This comes after a man of Matfuntini under the Lomahasha Chiefdom was reported to have killed his two children by hanging before proceeding to hang himself.
Musa Shabangu was found hanging on a gumtree situated close to a homestead where he stayed with the children and their mother.
The gruesome discovery was made by the area’s Chairman and inner council member Mashulane Magagula.
Magagula said the umphakatsi was shocked to learn of the incident, especially because the alleged domestic abuse between the couple was not reported to the traditional authority. Magagula said the umphakatsi only learned of the long-standing abuse within the family after the tragic incident.
He said even though the abuse was reported to the police, the family could have also reported to the umphakatsi as the police took too long to arrest or engage the alleged abuser. Nonetheless, Magagula urged residents not to shy away from the umphakatsi when having domestic conflicts.
RELATED | Don’t have children if you can’t love them – NatCom
“The umphakatsi is always ready to discuss all kind of issues that affect the residents and assist in solving them,” he said.
Meanwhile, some residents disclosed that the awkwardness of the community was a factor to many cases being left unattended. Matfuntini is an absolute rural community situated in the far north of Lomahasha.
According to the residents, the community is hardly accessible due to a poor pathway system.
Sonto Nyoni said some cases of abuse were left unreported as residents found it hard to get to the police station which is situated close to the Lomahasha Border Post.
“Some domestic issues gradually escalate to serious conflicts without having been reported to the police when they could still be controlled,” she said.
Some residents described the deceased man (Shabangu) as someone who mingled with fellow residents. The residents revealed that at some point, Shabangu was elected by the Vuvulane traditional leaders to accompany the Imbali regiment to the Reed Dance.
“One could not imagine Shabangu committing such a heinous act as he seemed to be a good man,” said a resident of Vuvulane who asked not to be named.
Members of the public also reacted with shock on the incident, with many pointing out a lack of transparency from Shabangu’s side.
The public expressed their emotions on social media, noting that the issue between Shabangu and the mother of his children went a long way without being addressed properly by the relevant authorities.
“Men must learn to speak out when they have challenges in their relationships. This could have been avoided if he came out clear and stated his problem,” said one of the social media users.
In the meantime, some pointed out jealousy as a factor that led to the incident. This was after it was disclosed that Shabangu would physically abuse the mother of his children for merely speaking to male residents in the area.
