Chronicle Editor
Fairness Moyana in Hwange
IN a tragic culmination of a long-standing feud, a man from Nkayi received a life sentence for the murder of his 87-year-old neighbour.
The incident, which occurred after a church service, involved a brutal attack with an axe.
The accused, Brilliant Ndlovu (33) of Gwelutshena under Chief Madliwa, alleged that the victim, Willie Khumalo, had previously set fire to his home, a claim that led to the fatal confrontation in 2021.
The court, presided over by Justice Christopher Dube-Banda, found the murder to be particularly heinous, warranting the removal of Ndlovu from society. Despite the deference’s argument of a provoked attack without intent to kill, the judge’s ruling was unequivocal: life imprisonment for a “horrible way to end the life of another human being”.
“Such conduct must be answered with a deserving punishment. Accordingly, you are sentenced to life imprisonment,” ruled the judge.
In a sombre recount of events, the prosecutor, Charlene Gorerino, detailed a fateful encounter on 7 May, which led to a tragic outcome. After attending a church service, Khumalo was on his way home when he encountered Ndlovu on a secluded footpath. The confrontation turned deadly when Ndlovu, harbouring a grudge over an alleged arson of his homestead, attacked Khumalo with an axe.
“The accused waylaid the deceased and struck him with an axe several times on the legs and once on the head. Ndlovu accused the deceased of torching his homestead,” Gorerino stated in court.
The aftermath of the attack was grim. Khumalo was found by his son, Zenzo, in a critical state, in a pool of blood. Despite being rushed to the hospital, Khumalo succumbed to his injuries two days later.
Ndlovu’s arrest followed a police report, but his defence painted a picture of a deeper family conflict. Represented by his pro deo lawyer, Charles Muleza, Ndlovu pointed to a long-standing feud over land rights as the underlying issue.
“The misunderstanding between the families had violent clashes over entitlement to a piece of communal farming land. The accused was arrested and detained following the misunderstanding. Upon his release, the accused believed that the deceased’s family had burnt his homestead in his absence,” Muleza explained.
In a final plea, Muleza described a moment of uncontrollable anger that led to the assault, stressing that Ndlovu had not intended to kill Khumalo.
“The deceased provoked the accused and in a fit of rage, he struck him four times using the back of an axe. The accused had no intention to kill the deceased and was shocked to learn of his death which prompted him to hand over himself to the police,” Muleza said.
This narrative, while shedding light on the complexities of the case, did not change the outcome of Ndlovu’s life sentence, as the court deemed the act a heinous crime.
Online Reporter