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Nhlalwenhle Ncube
RESORTING to extreme measures to retrieve a stolen phone, three men from Umguza allegedly burnt a suspected phone thiefa��sA� buttocks before taking turns to thoroughly beat him while having a beer binge.
Ntandoyenkosi Sibanda (23) is lucky to be alive as Sibangilizwe Dube (39), Thamsanqa Ncube (48) and Zebeldiah Tshuma (52) teamed against him and did the evil act as a way of punishing him.
The three men reportedly tied his hands and feet with ropes before burning his buttocks with charcoal.
After failing to retrieve the missing cellphone, they took turns to assault him with a sjambok at the same time pouring opaque beer on him.
Sibanda was saved by one villager who witnessed the incident and rushed to alert his mother.
They then reported the matter to police leading to the arrest of the three men.
Dube, Ncube and Tshuma appeared before Western Commonage magistrate Abednico Ndebele facing assault charges.
Only Tshuma pleaded guilty and two others pleaded not guilty.
The court heard that on 8 February at Billars Farm, Umguza, at around 6pm, Ncube failed to locate his phone at his workplace.
He then reported the matter to his employer who phoned Neighbourhood Watch Committee members Dube and Tshuma.
They attended the scene and were told that the main suspect was Sibanda.
Without wasting time, the three men allegedly teamed against Sibanda and in a bid to force the suspect to surrender the phone they started torturing him.
Both his hands and feet were tied before they burnt his buttocks.
When Sibanda insisted that he had no knowledge about the missing phone, they took him along as they went for a beer binge at a certain homestead.
While drinking beer, they took turns to beat him with a sjambok and one villager rushed to inform Sibandaa��s mother what was happening.
They swiftly reported the matter to police resulting in the three mena��s arrest.
Sibanda was referred to hospital and a doctora��s report was produced in court as exhibit.
Sibanda sustained bruises on his buttocks and a swollen chest.
Dube and Ncube were remanded out of custody on $100 bail to 3 March for continuation of trial while Tshuma was remanded in custody for sentencing.
Online Reporter