Man killed over pair of trousers

Mashudu Mambo
A TRIO from Esigodini in Matabeleland South province has been nabbed for allegedly stabbing to death a colleague in a dispute over a pair of trousers.

Methembe Tshabangu (21), Samuel Moyo (19), Junior Moyo (20) and Thabisani Tshuma (19) appeared before Bulawayo High Court Judge Justice Ngoni Nduna facing a charge of murder. The case was however, removed from the court roll as the State awaits witnesses.

State allegations against the alleged perpetrators are that on 7 December 2023 at around 6pm, Tshabangu was at Habane Business Centre when he confronted the now deceased, Keith Sithole, accusing him of wearing his trousers without permission.

This led to a misunderstanding and the two started fighting. Tshabangu lost the fight and ran home to mobilise his co-accused persons.

On 8 December 2023 at around 2 am, the quartet proceeded to Sithole’s house armed with okapi knives and wooden logs. Tshabangu force opened the door and entered the room, he left his co-accused persons outside the house.

Sithole was asleep together with Godknows Ncube and Polite Sibanda who were awakened by the banging door.

Ncube and Sibanda fled, leaving behind Sithole, Sibanda was struck with a log as he was escaping.

Tshabangu proceeded to stab Sithole twice on the buttocks with an okapi knife and Junior entered the house and dragged Sithole outside.

Tshabangu continued stabbing Sithole on the buttocks with an okapi knife, while Samuel and Tshuma took turns to assault the victim with wooden logs all over the body.

After the assault, the quartet dragged Sithole outside the yard for about 35 meters and Tshabangu stabbed Sithole in the thigh and they left him lying unconscious on the ground.

On the same day, Dumisani Kunene spotted the now-deceased and reported the matter to the police who attended the scene.

Sithole was taken to the hospital for post-mortem which revealed that he died as a result of haemorrhagic, femoral vessel perforation and stab wounds.

The investigations led to the arrest of the accused persons.