More Graves Robbed for muthi

THE number of graves robbed for muthi has increased to five and residents of Limpopo fear there could be more.

Last Friday, police forensic experts dug up two graves of the Nyavane twins at Tshitavha Cemetery outside Thohoyandou.

They confirmed that body parts were missing. The twins were the brothers of Daniel Nephawe, alleged mastermind and leader of the group behind the muthi scandal.

The exhumation of the graves followed Nephawe’s alleged confession to police about the evil trade.

The twins were aged one and a half year at the time of their deaths. They died of natural causes.

Last Wednesday, Nephawe’s bail application was postponed after new information of another grave came to light.

The grave was that of Grace Phundulu, whose late son Alpheus’ grave had also been violated.

Cops dug up the grave last week and retrieved bones, clothes belonging to the dead person and rotten pieces of the coffin.

Family spokesman Fhatuwani Phundulu said the strange incidents in their area had become a source of serious concern.

He said they prayed that nothing was missing from the grave in the latest case.

“We are now like a cursed family,” said Fhatuwani.

“We don’t know how long it will take police to conclude their tests.

“Until then, we will have to bear having empty, open graves.

“It’s very embarrassing, but we will wait.”

Brigadier Motlafela Mojapelo said they couldn’t yet determine if parts were missing.

But they had sent the remains for forensic testing.