Online Reporter
B-Metro Reporter
BULAWAYO was rocked by two savage killings in Magwegwe North and Cowdray Park, with police warning that tempers and weapons are turning ordinary disputes into deadly wars.
In Magwegwe North, a gang broke into a man’s house on o revenge mission. They bayoneted him, leaving him severely injured and he died at Mpilo Central Hospital where he had been admitted.
The carnage in Cowdray Park resulted from an apparently unprovoked attack. Three men armed with axes set upon two friends at a drinking spot, killing one on the spot.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Nomalanga Msebele said in a statement that they had “received two murder cases which occurred in Magwegwe North and Cowdray Park.”
In Magwegwe North, Mongiwethu Godknows Dube (26) was killed after a beer-related squabble spiralled into mob retaliation.
On 6 November at around 10pm, Mongiwethu and his friends met the accused, Keith Dube, who allegedly “splashed beer on them.”
Insp Msebele said in the early hours of the next morning, at around 4am, Mongiwethu and his friend stormed Keith’s home. They “opened the accused bedroom door, pulled him out of the house, and began assaulting him.” Keith screamed for help and a second suspect only identified as Nkosi rushed in.
Police said Nkosi “produced a bayonet and stabbed the now deceased on the right thigh and also on the head.”
An hour later, Mongiwethu’s mother received an anonymous call telling her her son was lying injured near Magwegwe North Shopping Centre. “She summoned an ambulance which ferried the now deceased to Mpilo Central Hospital where he was admitted and later died,” said the provincial spokesperson.
The second killing occurred in Cowdray Park just after midday on 7 December. Zibusiso Tshuma (22) was drinking with an 18-year-old friend at a local tuckshop when three axe-wielding men approached. Two of them are only known as Henry and Gii.
Sensing danger, the pair ran in different directions but the attackers chased after Zibusiso. “The accused persons pursued the now deceased and caught up with him, they struck him with axes several times all over the body,” said Insp Msebele. He died on the spot.
A report was made and the body was taken to the mortuary awaiting post mortem.
Inspector Nomalanga Msebele urged the public to stop turning disagreements into carnage. “We urge members of the public to solve their differences in an amicable way rather than resorting to violence. We also warn members of the public to desist from carrying dangerous weapons.”
