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Mashudu Netsianda, Senior Court Reporter
ONE of the two Bulawayo prophets who allegedly strangled a police officer in a bushy area near Khami Dam and robbed him of a car, $200, a laptop and two smart phones, has claimed the cop gave him the property as a token of appreciation for cleansing his two haunted houses.
Patrick Matikiti (26) of Sauerstown and Assurance Moyo (23) of Lobengula West allegedly took Mr Nhlalo Ndlovu to the bush to “cleanse him of evil spirits” where they allegedly killed and robbed him of a Toshiba laptop, a G-Tel and Huawei cellphones and his car, a Toyota Noah, which they later sold in Harare in December 2014.
The duo’s murder trial continued before Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Francis Bere on Thursday.
Matikiti took to the witness stand and told the court that he knew nothing about the alleged murder.
“I know nothing about the charge. I was surprised when police arrested me and accused me of killing the now deceased who was my client.,” said Matikiti.
“In fact, the last time I saw him (Ndlovu) was on the day he gave me his car, cellphones and laptop as appreciation for fixing his two houses in Bulawayo and Victoria Falls. The houses were being haunted by his late wife and I managed to cleanse them of the evil spirits,” he said.
Matikiti also accused police of forcing him together with Moyo to the scene of the alleged crime amid threats to shoot them if they resisted.
“Police officers took us to a bushy area near Khami Dam and forced us to point out a spot where they alleged that we killed the deceased and robbed him of his car, money and other valuables,” he said.
Matikiti said Ndlovu confided in him that he was secretly going to South Africa to look for his child.
“Ndlovu was a man of many girlfriends and was very secretive in everything that he did.
“He didn’t even tell his family and relatives that he was going to South Africa when he disappeared and I had to keep it a secret,” he said.
Ms Hloniphani Buhwa, who was Mr Ndlovu’s girlfriend, told the court that when she contacted Matikiti about her boyfriend’s whereabouts, he claimed that he was taken by a mermaid.
She said he also claimed that the spirits revealed to him that Mr Ndlovu was alive.
Prosecuting, Ms Nokuthaba Ngwenya said on December 10, 2014, shortly after 6.30PM, Mr Ndlovu approached Matikiti and Moyo seeking to be cleansed of evil spirits.
Mr Ndlovu had just arrived from Lupane where he was studying midwifery at St Luke’s Hospital when he sought help from the two alleged prophets.
The court heard that Matikiti and Moyo, who already had information that Mr Ndlovu was carrying cash and some valuables in his car, hatched a plan to rob him of his belongings.
Upon arrival at Khami Dam at about 9PM, the two men disembarked before they led Mr Ndlovu to a nearby bush where they purportedly intended to conduct a cleansing ceremony to drive away the evil spirits.
They allegedly manhandled the cop and choked him using a piece of cloth from their garments.
After robbing him, they left his body in the bush.
The two drove to Harare where they sold the car. The duo’s arrest was based on a strong suspicion following a report by relatives that Mr Ndlovu was last seen when he visited Matikiti’s home for consultation.
Mr Ndlovu’s bone, tooth and toothbrush were taken to the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) Applied Genetic Testing Centre for DNA profiling and the samples matched the police officer’s identity after another paternity test was conducted on the cop’s son and sister.
When police searched Matikiti’s house they found Mr Ndlovu’s police ID.
The two men then led police to the scene of the crime for indications where the other stolen goods were recovered. The accused persons’ witnesses will testify on Monday. — @mashnets
Online Reporter