Online Reporter
Fairness Moyana in Hwange
A man from Lupane in Matabeleland North, who brutally axed his ex-wife to death in a violent fit of rage after discovering her with another man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison. Bulawayo High Court judge, Justice Bongani Ndlovu, sitting at the Hwange High Court Circuit, handed down the sentence.
Prudence Nyoni (32), of Sygen Sibanda’s homestead in Jibajiba Village under Chief Mabhikwa in Lupane, was convicted of murder as defined under Section 47 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act (Chapter 9:23).
Nyoni was accused of fatally striking his ex-wife, Silethemba Moyo (20), multiple times with an axe in the early hours of April 15, 2025, following a domestic dispute linked to infidelity.
According to the State, represented by Mrs Martha Cheda, at around 4AM on the fateful morning, Nyoni armed himself with an axe and proceeded to Patrick Masiliza Ndlovu’s homestead in Jibajiba Village, where his ex-wife was sleeping in her bedroom hut with her new partner, Nkosikhona Ndlovu.
In a violent outburst, Nyoni broke down the door with the axe and stormed into the hut. Startled, Nkosikhona fled the room naked, leaving Moyo behind. The accused then turned his fury on his ex-wife, striking her repeatedly all over the body with the axe. She died instantly.
Moments later, Moyo’s parents, Patrick Masiliza Ndlovu and Siphathelo Ncube, who had been awakened by the commotion, rushed to the hut and found their daughter’s lifeless body wrapped in a mosquito net and lying in a pool of blood.
After committing the crime, Nyoni fled the scene, leaving behind the blood-stained axe.
He later confessed to his neighbour, Sygen Sibanda that he had killed Moyo and subsequently attempted to take his own life by ingesting poison.
Sibanda rushed him to St Luke’s Hospital, where he was admitted under police guard.
In passing sentence, Justice Ndlovu condemned the gruesome attack as a senseless act of brutality and a tragic example of domestic violence claiming yet another young life. The judge noted that while Nyoni had shown some remorse by confessing to his neighbour, his actions reflected an extreme disregard for human life.
“Domestic disputes, no matter how emotional, should never be resolved through violence,” said Justice Ndlovu.
