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THE Kezi man who killed his girlfriend by striking her with an axe twice on the head 12 years ago, was yesterday sentenced to death by hanging.Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Lawrence Kamocha, sitting with Mr Stanley Hadebe and Mrs Isabel Mashengele as assessors found Vincent Dube (39) guilty of murder with actual intent.
Dube, of Ratanyana under Chief Nyangazonke pleaded with the court for forgiveness but remained calm when sentence was pronounced to him.
“The source of provocation was David Nunu and the accused should have confronted him to find out why he was summoning the deceased to the school. The accused directed his anger to the wrong person when he had no proof that she was in love with Nunu.
“The sentence upon you is that you be retained in custody until a time when you will be hanged,” said Justice Kamocha.
Dube killed Memory Nobukhosi Ndlovu, who was 19-years-old in 2001 as he suspected that she was cheating on him with Nunu, a teacher who is now late.
In his judgement, Justice Kamocha said there were no extenuating circumstances. He said although Dube had been provoked, he directed his anger to the wrong person when he should have confronted Nunu.
Nunu had sent two pupils on two separate incidents to invite Ndlovu to the school. He said Dube was not an official son-in-law to the Ndlovu family and as such he had no right to demand an explanation why Nunu had invited Ndlovu.
Justice Kamocha ruled that it was Ndlovu’s right to look for somebody to marry her because he (Dube) was wasting her time despite having a child together.
He said the evidence of witnesses was intact while Dube gave conflicting statements and dismissed as untrue claims by Dube that Ndlovu had been the aggressor, as she picked up the axe intending to strike him.
Dube had applied, through his pro deo lawyer Mr Innocent Mafirakureva, of Mlweli Ndlovu and Associates Legal Practitioners for permanent stay of prosecution on the basis that there has been a lapse of time. He argued that it was prejudicial to him.
Justice Kamocha had quashed the application opening way for the trial. On 1 October 2001 while in Ratanyana, Dube struck Ndlovu twice on the back of the head with the axe leaving it embedded on her head.
The woman collapsed and died on the spot. Soon after committing the offence, he fled from the scene leaving the lifeless body lying in a pool of blood.
A post-mortem report showed that the woman died as a result of brain damage and skull fracture. Mr Whisper Mabhaudhi from the Attorney General’s Office appeared for the State.
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