adminSukulwenkosi Dube Plumtree Correspondent
A 65-YEAR-OLD father of 13 ran amok and torched his family’s harvest in a bid to fix his wife for reporting him to the police. Nomsa Ncube, 52, had reported her husband Thomas Ncube to the police for failing to support his family. The police reportedly wrote a letter summoning Ncube, a war veteran from Mangwe district to the police station. They then gave the letter to the wife to deliver it to Ncube.
This did not go down well with Ncube who retaliated by torching the family’s barn.
“I reported my husband to the police on May 27 as he is not supporting his children. I found him drinking at Dilankombe business centre and I gave him a letter from the police,” said Nomsa.
She said Ncube did not say a word and for the next two days he did not return home. Nomsa said her husband only returned on the third day when he torched the family barn.
She said she tried to put out the fire but her husband blocked her resulting in her just watching in agony as the family harvest was reduced to ashes.
“He told me that he was punishing me for reporting him to the police and thereafter left for his small house,” she said holding back tears.
Nomsa said following the incident, the family will soon run out of food.
“We’re only left with a bag of mealie-meal in the house. I had harvested four wheelbarrows of beans, four scotchcarts of millet, one scotchcart of maize and two scotchcarts of sorghum but all this was burnt as the crops were stored in the same barn,” she said.
Nomsa said Ncube had stopped fending for the family and as such was not paying fees for his children or buying uniforms.
A police source said upon his arrest Ncube said he burnt down the barn because his wife was disrespectful.
He is expected to appear in court soon facing arson charges.
Meanwhile, the area councillor Phakamisa Sibanda said villagers had started making contributions to assist the family.
Online Reporter