Online Reporter
Gibson Mhaka
The High Court in Bulawayo is set to hear a chilling case of betrayal and murder, as Juda Mkoni (74) from Chabeta Village, Magolongwane, under Chief Sitaudze in Beitbridge, stands accused of brutally killing his friend Dambudzo Moyo’s wife, Salphina Ndou.
The trial, scheduled for 26 March 2025, will examine the harrowing details of Ndou’s death, with seven witnesses expected to testify. Among them is her husband, who was in deep sleep when Mkoni allegedly entered their bedroom and fatally stabbed her.
A deadly night
According to court documents, on 2 May 2020, Mkoni and the deceased’s husband had been drinking at Mkoni’s homestead. Later that evening, around 8PM, Mkoni accompanied his friend home, where they continued drinking. An hour later, Mkoni left, leaving Moyo heavily intoxicated.
About 30 minutes later, Mkoni returned, claiming he had lost his cellphone. After an unsuccessful search, he joined Ndou and her daughter, Metina Moyo (25), for tea before departing again at 10:30 PM.
Not long after, Mkoni came back a third time, now entering the couple’s bedroom, where a confrontation erupted between him and Ndou.
He allegedly stabbed her twice —once on each side of her stomach.
The horrific discovery
Ndou’s desperate cries for help woke her daughter, Metina, who stepped outside her room. From a distance, she saw Mkoni, illuminated by a solar light, leaving the bedroom with a knife in his hand.
Meanwhile, Moyo, still heavily intoxicated, only woke when his wife’s lifeless body collapsed onto him.
Stepping outside in shock, he informed Metina of Ndou’s injuries. Metina then alerted her aunt, Salif Mbedzi, who arrived and confirmed that Ndou had died.
The hunt for Mkoni
Villagers were soon notified, and a search for Mkoni began. Tracking his footprints, they discovered his mobile phone along the trail. They eventually found him lying unconscious beneath a mopane tree, bleeding from a self-inflicted neck wound in what appeared to be a failed suicide attempt.
The police were called, and Mkoni was taken into custody. A blood-stained knife, believed to be the murder weapon, was recovered.
On 7 May 2020, a post-mortem was conducted at Beitbridge District Hospital, confirming Ndou’s cause of death. Days later, on May 10, Mkoni and key witnesses participated in a scene reconstruction, during which he reportedly gave a warned and cautioned statement voluntarily.
Now, as the court prepares to hear the case, the events of that tragic night are set to be laid bare, offering a glimpse into an act of violence that shattered a family and a community.
He allegedly stabbed her twice — once on each side of her stomach.
Days later, on 10 May, Mkoni and key witnesses participated in a scene reconstruction, during which he reportedly gave a warned and cautioned statement voluntarily.
Now, as the court prepares to hear the case, the events of that tragic night are set to be laid bare, offering a glimpse into an act of violence that shattered a family and a community.
