Online Reporter
A 32-year-old Bulawayo man, Zibusiso Phiri of Ntabazinduna Flats, is facing domestic violence charges after allegedly beating his mother, Pretty Dube (59).
The shocking incident, stemming from drunken rage and a misplaced sense of entitlement, occurred on July 14, 2025, around 6pm.
According to police reports, Phiri arrived home heavily intoxicated and immediately began having a temper tantrum, while all the while shouting and throwing plates around.
He accused his mother of treating him like a child, despite him being the eldest son.
The verbal altercation quickly escalated, with Phiri punching his mother multiple times.
Fearing for her life, Dube fled the house and reported the incident at Mzilikazi Police Station. Police responded swiftly and arrested Phiri.
Sources close to the family indicate that this was not the first time Phiri had been violent while drunk, but this particular incident “crossed the line”.
Police have confirmed the arrest on X, stating that Phiri “will face the full wrath of the law”. – Bulawayo Bureau
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Man murders in-laws, torches bodies in horrific attack
A Plumtree man, Tafirei Ndlovu, has been handed two life sentences after being convicted of the brutal and fatal axe murders of his in-laws and torching their bodies inside a kitchen hut in the dead of night.
Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Christopher Dube-Banda found Ndlovu guilty of the cold-blooded double murder.
The court heard that on April 14, 2022, Ndlovu, along with an accomplice Kudzani Mathukuthu (who remains at large), savagely murdered his father-in-law Xolan Mpofu and mother-in-law Sibalungele Ncube.
The axe-wielding duo attacked the sleeping couple around 2am, striking them repeatedly before dragging their lifeless bodies into a kitchen hut.
In a chilling attempt to destroy evidence and cover their tracks, they set the hut ablaze.
The harrowing massacre was witnessed by Ndlovu’s wife, Nomusa Nyoni, who is also the daughter of the deceased.
Just days before the murders, Nomusa had fled her marital home in Botswana after 13 years of a troubled marriage, seeking safety at her parents’ home in Plumtree.
Ndlovu later contacted his mother-in-law and pretended he wanted to reconcile with his wife. Instead of peace, he brought death.
After the murders, Ndlovu kidnapped Nomusa and forced her to cross back into Botswana illegally.
However, fate intervened.
Nomusa managed to alert border patrol officers, informing them of the brutal killings and her abduction. Ndlovu was arrested, but his partner in crime vanished and remains at large.
Despite denying all charges in court, Ndlovu was found guilty on both counts of murder and sentenced to two life sentences.
The judge described the crime as “barbaric and gravely aggravating”, stating that the calculated manner in which the murders were committed left no room for leniency.
Nomusa is now under police protection, while a manhunt continues for the fugitive accomplice. – Bulawayo Bureau
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Man arrested for stealing 33 goats
A 36-year-old man from Hwajembwa village, under Chief Mutambara in Chimanimani, was arrested for stealing 33 goats belonging to Christian Zikiti (53).
The incident occurred on July 6 around 6pm. Manicaland police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka confirmed the arrest of Peter Chikwature.
Zikiti had put his goats in the pen the previous night around 6pm.
“The accused came in the evening and removed the poles of the pen. He drove 33 goats to the Marange area,” said Asst Insp Chinyoka.
The following morning, Zikiti went to his kraal to check on his cattle and noticed the goat pen was open and his goats were missing.
He checked around the perimetre and saw unfamiliar footprints.
Zikiti informed other villagers and they immediately followed the tracks.
It is alleged that upon reaching the Erimiti area, Zikiti spotted the accused driving his goats and ran after him.
When Chikwature saw Zikiti, he fled.
Villagers, however, gave chase and caught him.
He tried to resist but was overpowered.
“The villagers searched a satchel he had and found five knives, a 2×2-metre black plastic sheet and three 50kg empty sacks. Chikwature admitted to stealing the goats and also mentioned he had killed three young goats and threw them into the bush. Thirty goats were recovered,” said Asst Insp Chinyoka.
Chikwature was handed over to ZRP Cashel.
In a separate incident, ZRP Cashel also arrested five men from Rekerwi village in Chimanimani over stock theft.
Asst Insp Chinyoka said Funuel Rudzungu (18), Kudzanai Rudzungu (18), Shupai Kambureni (44), Chipo Zulu (32) and Takesure Gonzo (36) were arrested after slaughtering a cow belonging to Loicy Mutambara (42).
“Funuel Rudzungu was the herdsman and on July 4 around 10am, he left 13 cattle at the grazing fields. One fell into an irrigation canal and was rescued by passersby, who then informed Mutambara.
“Funuel hatched a plan and partnered with the four accused to slaughter the cow and sold all the meat, leaving only three legs,” said the police spokesperson.
On the same day, Funuel returned to the complainant’s house with the cow bell and told her the animal had died.
The following day, Mutambara went to check the spot and only found blood.
Mutambara reported the matter to ZRP Cashel, who attended the scene and searched Funuel’s house, where the three remaining legs of the cow were recovered. — Manica Post
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‘Haunted’ house mystery grips Gqalaza village
A mysterious homestead in the Gqalaza area, under Chief Khulumani Mathema, is making villagers uneasy after they discovered it still had new furniture despite having been abandoned more than 35 years ago.
Photos that circulated on Facebook last week show a strangely preserved house that still had its walls intact, a roof still holding strong and furniture that remained untouched.
According to those who have dared peek inside, it is as if the former occupants vanished into thin air, leaving behind everything, from beds and boxes to buckets and clay pots.
The house, now referred to as inxiwa (abandoned ruin), has become a no-go zone, with locals convinced it is haunted.
No one knows the family or why they left their possessions behind.
“People are afraid to even get near the place,” a villager said.
“It has been like that for decades. The windows and doors were stolen, but inside, everything is still there. Not even termites have touched it!”
Chief Mathema confirmed he has visited the eerie homestead after hearing about it from the community.
“I first heard about it last week,” said the chief. I went there myself, although I did not enter the house. From the outside I could see the belongings inside. They looked exactly as people said. The place is old; that is clear. Some children are even said to have come out of the house carrying dried sugar!”
So, why has the house not been affected by time?
“That could be because the roof is still intact,” the chief speculated. There are calls from some community members to cleanse the house. We were advised that all the items should be gathered and either burned or buried in a sacred place,” Chief Mathema said.
“Only then should the house be demolished.”
Elders believe such abandoned homesteads may even be linked to the region’s poor rains.
“This kind of place, where spirits may linger, can disrupt harmony in the community. It must be dealt with properly,” said the chief.
Now, Gqalaza villagers are waiting to see whether tradition and cleansing can bring peace — and rain — back to the area. Until then, the strange homestead remains untouched, guarding its secrets in plain sight. — B-Metro
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter