SHISHA, STABS & DEATH: Killer nabbed in Kadoma after New Year horror

The 40-year-old man from Mkhubazi Line, whose name is withheld to protect the identity of his daughter (19), was convicted of two counts of rape by Bulawayo regional magistrate Lungile Ncube.

Anesu Dhliwayo

WHAT started as a casual night at Ruzviya Bar ended in cold-blooded murder and now a 23-year-old Zhombe man will spend the next 20 years behind bars.
Tichaona Sibanda, described by some villagers as a “quiet but unpredictable” figure, was slapped with the heavy sentence at the Gweru High Court Circuit for fatally stabbing 21-year-old Lloyd Zhakata in the chest with a homemade knife.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority of ZIMBABWE (NPAZ), the grisly killing occurred on 30 December 2024 at Zibhawabhawa Business Centre as patrons watched a tense game of snooker.
“Without warning, Sibanda pulled out a homemade knife and stabbed Zhakata once in the chest before fleeing with his brother into the night,” reads a statement from the NPAZ.

Zhakata tried to walk away but collapsed about 130 metres from the bar, where he was later discovered lying lifeless in a pool of blood near a homestead.
The fugitive killer was smoked out by detectives in Kadoma five days later. The murder weapon was a chilling 11.5cm homemade blade. It was recovered and paraded in court as part of the evidence that sealed Sibanda’s fate.
Locals say the bar has always been a hotspot for violent confrontations, but nothing prepared them for the bloodbath that closed out 2024.