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Mashudu Netsianda Senior Court Reporter
THE two men who allegedly stabbed a villager at Nyamandlovu following a row over a snooker game, appeared in court yesterday facing a murder charge.
Bulawayo magistrate Maryleen Mutshina heard how Ishmael Moyo, 26, and Limukani Sibanda, 25, both of Village 4 in Nyamandlovu, flew into a rage and assaulted Bhekinkosi Ndlovu, 28, before brutally stabbing him on the left ribcage with an Okapi knife.
They left him lying unconscious in a pool of blood.
The blood stained knife was found at the homestead of Transport Minister Obert Mpofu.
Clad in dirty clothes, Moyo and Sibanda appeared calm and unmoved as they took to the dock before a packed courtroom.
Prosecuting, Mr Raymond Makhaza, narrated how on Sunday evening, Moyo and Sibanda met Ndlovu and his friend Mvelo Ncube at a local bar during which they started drinking and taking turns to play snooker for small bets.
Ndlovu and Ncube were playing against Moyo and Sibanda when a drunk local disrupted the game and sank the black ball — ending the game.
“This resulted in an argument when Moyo and Sibanda challenged Ncube, saying he had lost the game and demanding to be paid the R5 stake,” said Makhaza.
The court was told that soon after the fracas, Ncube and Ndlovu left the scene.
However, about 30 minutes later they met again with Moyo and Sibanda at Stan’s Bottle Store.
Moyo and Sibanda started attacking Ncube and when Ndlovu tried to restrain them, the two men turned on him and they started wrestling with him.
Sensing defeat, Sibanda pulled out a knife from his pocket and allegedly stabbed Ndlovu once on the left ribcage and he fell down.
The accused persons fled from the scene leaving Ndlovu lying unconscious. Ncube went and alerted Ndlovu’s wife, Sinqobile Moyo. On arrival at the scene, she found her husband fighting for his life in a pool of blood.
A report was made to the police leading to the arrest of Moyo and Sibanda and subsequent recovery of the knife used in the commission of the alleged offence.
Ndlovu died on his way to Mpilo Central Hospital at about 2am.
Mutshina remanded Moyo and Sibanda in custody to December 17.
Online Reporter