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A tearful Ms Priviledge Dlomo relates the circumstances that led to her running away from the abusive husband

Andile Tshuma, Chronicle Reporter
A Gokwe woman whose husband allegedly killed her four siblings, said she regrets leaving her sisters at his mercy.

Ms Priviledge Dlomo (24) of Chirima Village in Gokwe spoke to The Chronicle news crew at her aunt’s homestead in Insiza district where she now resides.

Ms Dlomo fled from her matrimonial home in Nkayi to her parents in Gokwe after her husband, Dingilizwe Dube (38), who was in South Africa threatened to kill her.

Dube was bitter that she was brewing traditional beer for sale in his absence.

Ms Dlomo resorted to the business of brewing beer to raise money to fend for her three children because Dube was not sending money.

When she told her in-laws about her plight and that of her children as a result of Dube’s neglect, they gave her sorghum and advised her to brew beer for sale.

Ms Dlomo’s other child is from another marriage.

After her escape, Dube allegedly followed her to her parents’ home and she fled again to Insiza where her aunt lives.

Dube allegedly vented his anger on Ms Dlomo’s four siblings who were burnt to death after he allegedly torched the hut they were sleeping in last month.
He is in custdoy awaiting trial for four counts of murder.

The Dlomo family is demanding 48 beasts from Dube’s family as compensation for the deaths of their children.

“I regret fleeing from my husband because he ended up venting his anger on my sisters. They had nothing to do with our problems yet they paid with their lives,” said a tearful Ms Dlomo.

She said her life is now empty as she now has no siblings as they were just five girls in their family.

“I am failing to come to terms with this tragedy and I have no idea what my mother is going through following the death of her four children in one fell swoop,” she said.

Ms Dlomo said at one point her parents warned her against marrying Dube.

She said Dube started physically abusing her when she was three months pregnant with the first child of their marriage. She said at one time when she was under attack, she fled into her mother’s bedroom but he followed and attacked her there.

Ms Dlomo said Dube was fined a beast by a traditional court for entering his in-laws bedroom and the beast he paid was among the nine beasts belonging to the Dlomo family that he axed after the attack on the four siblings.

Six beasts died in the attack.

Dube was last week convicted of arson and malicious damage to property by a Gokwe magistrate and was sentenced to an effective 12 months in prison.
He was further ordered to restitute the Dlomos $1 800 or six beasts.

Dube’s family has since compensated the Dlomo family for the lost beasts. – @andile_tshuma