Online Reporter
B-Metro Reporter
BULAWAYO police are on the hunt for a man known only as Bhaks Nyathi after a 19-year-old artisanal miner was stabbed to death in a trench in the early hours of Thursday.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Nomalanga Msebele confirmed the incident.
“Police in Bulawayo are investigating a murder case of Freddy Masina, a male adult aged 19 of Mantoni Village, Nkayi, who was murdered at Gonka Mine, Umguza.”
According to police, the killing occurred around 2AM on 14 August 2025 when Masina, Nyathi, and two other men were sleeping in a two-metre-deep trench.
“The informant was awakened by a groaning sound which was made by the now deceased, Freddy Masina. The accused person then jumped out of the trench saying he cannot be disrespected by a small boy and he ran away,” said Insp Msebele.
The witness discovered Masina had been stabbed with an unknown sharp object, suffering cuts to the chin, neck, and under the ear. Blood was “oozing from the stabbed wounds, mouth and nose.”
Police say Nyathi, a former mine employee who returned as “an illegal artisanal miner” without being on the registers, fled the scene and is still at large.
“We urge members of the public to desist from use of violence when solving their disputes so as to avoid such incidents,” said Insp Msebele.
“Police are appealing to the members of the public with information that may lead to the arrest of the accused person to come forward and report to the nearest police station.”
Masina’s body was taken to United Bulawayo Hospitals mortuary for postmortem.
