Online Reporter
Fairness Moyana, [email protected]
A Lupane man who brutally assaulted his 77-year-old grandfather and evicted him from his home shortly before the elderly man’s body was found dumped under a bridge has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Obey Ncube (30) was convicted of murder by Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Evangelista Kabasa, who was sitting on circuit at Hwange Magistrates’ Court.
The court heard chilling details of how a family dispute escalated into deadly violence, ending in the tragic death of Bevin Moyo, a respected elderly man and traditional healer who had been living with his grandson.
Ncube had pleaded not guilty to murder, attempting instead to secure a culpable homicide conviction.
However, the court found that the severity and persistence of the attack demonstrated clear intent, leading to his conviction on the murder charge.
On 27 June 2025, at around 2pm, Moyo had just returned to his bedroom hut at their Manasa Village homestead under Chief Mabhikwa when his grandson stormed in armed with a knobkerrie. Moments later, screams tore through the quiet homestead.
His niece, Esnath Mutsvara, and Ncube’s wife, Simangaliso Ncube, rushed to the hut, only to encounter a horrifying scene.
Ncube was raining blows on the helpless old man, striking him with both a knobkerrie and a metal handle from an ox-drawn plough.
Despite their desperate pleas, he continued the assault relentlessly. He then dragged the injured and trembling grandfather outside, still beating him, before ordering him to pack his belongings and leave the homestead.
Weak, injured and barely able to walk, the elderly man staggered away carrying his possessions.
The following morning, Moyo was found lying unconscious by the roadside by a relative, Siphilisiwe Dube.
He was ferried back home on a scotch cart, his body battered, his hand swollen and a visible wound on his leg. He could not speak. Instead of ensuring proper care, Ncube later claimed he had taken the old man to St Paul’s Mission Hospital but had returned home alone.
Days later, on 2 July 2025, schoolchildren made a gruesome discovery. Under a bridge along the St Paul’s-Nkayi Road lay the lifeless body of Moyo, partially covered with blankets, his belongings nearby, as though abandoned and discarded.
Villagers alerted authorities and police attended the scene, confirming the death. The body was already decomposing. Investigations led to Ncube’s arrest in August.
In court, prosecutor Martha Cheda led evidence from multiple witnesses, including family members who witnessed the assault and police officers who attended the scene.
The court also heard how the accused made indications leading to the recovery of one of the weapons — the metal plough handle used in the attack.
Justice Kabasa ruled that the nature of the assault — repeated blows with dangerous weapons on an elderly, defenceless victim — demonstrated clear intent to kill. Ncube was convicted of murder and sentenced to 20 years behind bars.
For the Lupane community, the case has left a deep scar, highlighting the devastating consequences of domestic violence within families.
