Herdboy found dead after row with rustlers

Godsen Ncube from Sigangatsha Village under Chief Malaba, who worked as a “herdboy” for a local businessman, Mr Titus Moyo, was reportedly found lying dead under a tree with a rope on his neck and a cut on the side of his head.
In an interview, Moyo and some members of the community said that Ncube went missing after having a heated verbal exchange with suspected cattle rustlers, who accused him of reporting them to the police for stocktheft.
The altercation was on 8 February and Ncube’s body was reportedly discovered the following day. 
Mr Moyo said Ncube was his domestic worker and he was deeply hurt when they found him dead.
“Ncube looked after my cattle for a long time. I was deeply hurt when he was found dead by other herdboys in a bushy area. What hurts me most is that we suspect that he was murdered by this cattle-rustling group,” said Mr Moyo.
He said Ncube had reported them to the police as suspects for stockthefts.
“Four of my beasts and others from members of the community went missing and Ncube presented them as suspects to the police.
“The trio was arrested on 2 February and detained at Sun Yet Sen Police Station. They were released on 7 February on grounds that they were no longer suspects but witnesses. This left all of us surprised,” said Mr Moyo.
The following day, on a Wednesday when the trio was released, Ncube did not return home.
He was then found dead on Thursday in the bush.
“He had a deep cut on the side of his head and the tree he was lying under is so short that he could not have hanged himself from it, as the scene suggested, hence making it a suspicious suicide,” said Mr Moyo.
He said Ncube’s body was sent for a post-mortem to the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH).
A man who was present at the scene where Ncube was found said his body was already decomposing when the police took it.
“We found Ncube’s body decomposing but it was clear that he had a cut on the side of his head,” said the man who preferred anonymity. He also expressed concern over the way police handled the situation, saying they did not explain the conditions surrounding the suspects’ release.
The trio has reportedly disappeared from the area.
“We heard that the trio had developed from suspects to witnesses which surprised all of us because we know them to be criminals in the community.
“On behalf of the community, we appeal to the district police force to bust this syndicate because our station has been found lacking on previous occasions,” said the villager.
However acting police spokesperson for Matabeleland South Sergeant Loveness Mangena could not confirm the incident, saying they were yet to receive a report from Sun Yet Sen Police Station.