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Driving at night is frightening enough, but in Bulawayo, certain streets are rumoured to be haunted.
Reports of a female ghost targeting male motorists by stopping them and disappearing after being given a lift have sent shivers down the spines of many.
According to motorists, the female ghost is often seen at night near the intersections of Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Street and Connaught and Masotsha Ndlovu avenues in the city centre.
One such terrifying encounter was shared by Mlungisi Gumede from North End suburb.
He claimed he picked up a strikingly beautiful woman at the intersection of Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Street and Connaught Avenue, but she mysteriously vanished from his car near Campbell Avenue, close to Athlone Cemetery.
He said, as they were talking, the woman requested to be dropped off near the graveyard.
However, as they approached the designated spot, she vanished into thin air, paralysing Gumede with fear.
“I was coming from town around 9pm when I saw a woman standing at the corner of Joshua Nkomo Street and Connaught Avenue. She was extremely beautiful, decently dressed in a long dress and a hoodie.
“She looked desperate as she stopped me. At first, I was hesitant because that area is known for being frequented by ladies of the night, but her appearance and demeanour made me think she was in trouble.
“When I asked her where she was going, she said she needed a ride to Campbell Avenue in North End, the last street before the new Athlone Cemetery. As we drove, we talked, but just before we reached her destination, she vanished without a trace. It was a terrifying experience,” said Gumede.
Another chilling tale came from a pirate taxi driver who identified himself as Banda from Sauerstown suburb.
He claimed he witnessed the ghost’s haunting presence first-hand.
He said, while transporting passengers late one night, he picked up a woman near Masotsha Ndlovu Avenue.
As they drove, the woman mysteriously disappeared before reaching her destination, terrifying him and his passengers.
“It was around 11pm when I was driving home with some passengers I had picked up on Third Avenue. As it was late, my car was not fully occupied. While driving along, as I reached Masotsha Ndlovu Avenue, a woman flagged me down. I did not suspect anything, as she was alone.
“When she got inside, she greeted us and thanked me for stopping to give her a lift. While chatting, she mentioned she would be getting off soon before Sauerstown Police Station.
“Just before we passed Athlone Cemetery, one of the passengers screamed, saying the woman we had picked up had vanished. I could not believe it and when I stopped the car, I realised she had indeed disappeared. The incident was terrifying,” said Banda.
Hilton Nyathi (41) from Harrisvale suburb, a frequent passenger of late-night pirate taxis, corroborated Banda’s claims.
He recalled a time when he witnessed a woman being picked up under similar circumstances. The woman vanished without a trace near Athlone Cemetery, leaving a chilling impression on everyone present.
A commercial sex worker who identifies herself as Nolly and operates near the flats close to the intersections in question shared a chilling tale about a woman who once haunted the streets at night.
According to Nolly, the woman was a sex worker, who was murdered by a client and buried at Athlone Cemetery.
“It is believed her restless spirit now seeks revenge on men, appearing to unsuspecting motorists and vanishing into thin air. The woman’s ghost is often seen near the intersection of Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Street and Connaught Avenue or Masotsha Ndlovu Avenue, particularly at night.
“Any man who picks up the woman is at risk of a terrifying encounter, as she has the power to disappear and reappear. This issue is now disturbing our business as motorists are no longer stopping to entertain us,” she said. — B-Metro
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Brutal murders haunt Manyaya village
MANYAYA village, under Chief Mutema in Chipinge, recently plunged into mourning following a spine-chilling incident in which a man burnt a defenceless granny, before crushing the head of her niece on the floor.
Sophia Sithole (70) and Rachael Dhaera (four) died allegedly at the hands of Trust Chivhunze (38).
Chivhunze is said to have committed the crimes after having been previously accused by the late Sithole of stealing a blanket from her daughter’s washing line.
He denied the accusations, describing them as unfounded, but allegedly nursed a grudge that led to the gruesome double murder.
Acting Manicaland provincial police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka confirmed the incident.
He described the murder suspect as a well-known violent person, who often threatened to harm the deceased granny due to the accusations she had made.
The suspect has since been arrested and charged with two counts of murder.
Assistant Inspector Chinyoka said on the fateful evening, Chivhunze allegedly pounced on the unsuspecting Sithole and tossed her on a heap of thatching grass he had set on fire.
He proceeded to the bedroom hut, where he allegedly crushed Rachael’s head on the floor, killing her instantly.
The child’s skull was opened on impact, splashing her brains and blood on the floor.
“On August 17, around 2pm, Sophia Sithole, accompanied by Rachael, visited her daughter Celia Dhaera (36) who stays alone at her homestead.
“On the same day, around 7pm, they left for an all-night prayer service in the same area. The following day, Dhaera left the two at the prayer site and proceeded to Headman Chivhunze’s community court, where she attended a session that lasted up to 3pm as a witness,” he said.
Assistant Inspector Chinyoka added that Dhaera discovered the double murder when she returned home on Sunday evening.
“Dhaera arrived back from Headman Chivhunze’s court and saw heaped thatching grass that was burning but did not suspect anything. She went straight into her bedroom hut, where she was shocked to discover bloodstains and brain portions splashed all over the house.
“She discovered Rachael’s body lying in a pool of blood on the bed. She took the body and placed it on a mat that was on the doorstep. Out of curiosity, Dhaera dashed out of the bedroom to the burning thatching grass to investigate. Sadly, she discovered Sithole’s body on fire,” he said.
Asst Insp Chinyoka said Dhaera began to scream s, attracting the attention of a concerned neighbour, Boniye Mtisi (39), who rushed to the homestead to investigate, before alerting other villagers about the incident.
The villagers then effected a citizen’s arrest on Chivhunze.
“Police later attended the scene and discovered that Rachael had an open skull, consistent with being hit by a blunt object, but all other body parts were intact.
“Sithole’s body had been burned beyond recognition. No murder weapon was recovered from the scene of the crime. Police also discovered a box of matches and a cigarette stub beside Rachael’s body. Police are yet to recover the weapons used to commit the heinous crime and investigations are continuing,” he said. — Manica Post
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Jealous husband brutalises wife over water
When men become consumed by jealousy, they may resort to controlling their partners’ social interactions, limiting their freedom and even resorting to violence.
In a fit of jealousy, a 37-year-old man from Mhuke village in Madlambuzi area, Matabeleland South province, is said to have brutally assaulted his wife with an electric cable, leaving her with injuries all over her body, as punishment for giving a fellow villager some water to drink.
Suspecting the fellow villager who came during his absence might be his wife Thubelihle Ndebele’s lover, Thandanani Dube ran berserk and brutally assaulted her.
It is reported that on October 21, 2024, around 8am, Dube went to the fields, leaving his wife at their homestead.
During his absence, a local villager came to the home and asked for some water to drink, which his wife provided.
When Dube returned home around 8pm, he seemed to have heard that a fellow villager had been spotted at his homestead. He then questioned his wife about who had visited during his absence.
She told him that a local villager came asking for some water to drink and she gave him.
Driven by unfounded jealousy, a misunderstanding arose between the two parties.
At the height of the altercation, Dube hit his wife with an electric cable several times all over the body.
The wife was injured as a result of the assault and was referred to Plumtree District Hospital.
The matter was reported to the police, leading to Dube’s arrest and subsequent appearance in court on a physical abuse charge.
Dube pleaded guilty to the offence and was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment, of which six months were suspended for five years, on condition he does not commit any offence involving physical abuse within that period.
The remaining 12 months of imprisonment were suspended on condition he completes 420 hours of unpaid labour at Mhuke Primary School. — Bulawayo Bureau
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