Woman breaks down narrating how heroic neighbour burnt to death

Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
A WOMAN from Inyathi broke down in court as she narrated how her neighbour was burnt to death after heroically saving her three minor children from a fire after a thief torched their bedroom hut.

Court proceedings were temporarily halted when Mrs Sibongile Ndlovu (55) broke down in the witness’ box during her testimony before Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Maxwell Takuva who was on circuit in Hwange last week.

Mrs Ndlovu, of Plot 19, Hambakahle Plots in Inyathi, was testifying in the murder of Cynthia Ndlovu of Plot 7 in the same area who was burnt to death in September last year.

The deceased heroically saved her three children aged seven, 12 and 13 years by pulling the door until there was a gap just big enough for the minors to squeeze through and escape. She remained inside and was burnt to death.

Mrs Ndlovu broke down as she narrated how the three children knocked at her door after midnight and told her that a stranger had set their mother on fire.

The children told the court how they were awakened by noise from barking dogs after the thief, Phalani Maphosa (33) arrived at their homestead.

The two minors said their mother prayed for God to save them after they saw a torch light flashing through the window.

Together with their mother they pushed the door from inside as Maphosa hit it with an axe trying to open it.

Justice Takuva found Maphosa guilty of murder with actual intent for the death of Ndlovu and also guilty of three counts of attempted murder.

He sentenced him to 35 years for murder and five years for the three counts of attempted murder giving a total of 40 years in jail.

Prosecuting, Mr Bheki Tshabalala said Maphosa had earlier broken into another neighbour’s homestead where he stole clothes and some tennis shoes which he was wearing when he committed the heinous crime.

“On 21 September 2019 at midnight, the deceased was in bed with her three children aged seven, 12 and 13 years. The accused tried to break down the door using an axe but failed,” said Mr Tshabalala.

Maphosa went to a nearby kitchen hut where he stole some meat before taking a burning log which he used to torch the bedroom hut.

The children tried in vain to pull the door to save their mother.

Seeing that the fire was growing bigger, the children ran to Mrs Ndlovu’s homestead to seek help.

Mrs Ndlovu alerted other villagers who found the now deceased already burnt to death.

In the morning neighbours tracked Maphosa’s tennis shoe prints and apprehended him at a nearby bus stop.

Mr Njabulo Ndlovu of Ncube Attorneys represented Maphosa pro-deo. — @ncubeleon