adminDanisa Masuku
A DRAMATIC incident played out at Sotshangane Flats when Mxolisi Ndlovu confronted his business rival Maxwell Phiri and reportedly insulted him with his mother’s private parts while threatening to kill him.
In African culture, you can insult a man with almost anything and have a chance of getting away with it. The tables turn if you mention another man’s wife or mother in a derogatory manner in an argument. Then you may be guaranteed of a fight.
The two, according to Ndlovu, are shebeen kings in the suburb and the bone of contention between the two was that Phiri was accused of snatching Ndlovu’s customers.
Seeing that his customers were dwindling and had gone to Phiri the livid Ndlovu had to confront him and fired a salvo at him while threatening to finish him off.
The prosecutor Hardlife Mhaka said “Mxolisi Ndlovu confronted Maxwell Phiri at house number 210 Sotshangane flats. He insulted him in isiNdebele and said: “Md*** kanyoko which literally means your mother’s anus.”
Seeing that the situation had got tense as tempers flared, Phiri, the court heard, left in a huff to the next block.
Feeling not yet done with him, Ndlovu reportedly followed him in hot pursuit and caught up with him. He went a gear up and threatened to kill him.
“Ndlovu followed him at 170 Sotshangane Flats and threatened to kill him saying in isiNdebele: “Izihlobo zakho zizakungcwaba sengikubulele (your relatives will bury you after I have killed you,” said the prosecutor.
Some people watched in glee while some covered their ears in disgust.
A number of onlookers commended Phiri for remaining calm in the face of the extreme provocation.
Fearing for his life Phiri rushed to a police station and made a report leading to the arrest of Ndlovu.
Ndlovu appeared before magistrate Nkosinomusa Ncube at the Tredgold magistrates’ court. He was facing a criminal insult charge.
He denied the charge.
“Your Worship I never insulted him, I just asked him why he was in the habit of “taking” my customers,” he said.
He was remanded out of custody to next week on Monday for continuation of trial.
Online Reporter