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The late Bongani ‘Bongo’ Ndlovu

BULAWAYO is once again in the throes of another soul searching episode following the senseless and callous murder of a popular cross border transporter (umalayitsha) Bongani “Bongo” Ndlovu who was beaten to death allegedly by two men after an argument over an undisclosed matter at an upmarket city pub. What makes the incident sad and gut wrenching is the manner in which it was carried out by the assailants and their apparent lack of remorse and cold heartedness.

We reported on Monday how Ndlovu was floored by one of the suspects with a blow and hit his head against a railing at the entrance to Zarah Lounge — a new and popular pub at the corner of Robert Mugabe and 10th Avenue in the city centre. “Bongo”, as he was affectionately known, had sought to play peacemaker during a fight between one of the patrons and the assailants who were with two of their friends.

What sparked the fight will surely emerge as the matter goes to trial but witnesses recall how the four men were generally a nuisance from the time they got to the pub and were clearly spoiling for a fight. They said the men tussled with another patron and were duly ejected from the establishment. The fight continued outside Zarah where “Bongo” sought to mediate and was engaged in a scuffle with one of the suspects.

According to the witnesses, one of the men then attacked him from behind and he fell to the ground, injuring the back of his head in the process. “Bongo” lost consciousness for about 20 minutes and in the intervening time, bouncers — some of whom had been summoned from the nearby Lounge and Cubanna nightclubs as reinforcements — battled to subdue the four men who were violent and uncontrollable. An ambulance was called but the response time was too long since emergency services were stretched on the night.

Meanwhile, the police duly arrived but were also attacked by the suspects who resisted arrest, according to witnesses. After he regained consciousness, “Bongo” was taken to the Bulawayo Central Police Station to make a report since it is a requirement for the victim of a crime to first make a report before receiving treatment at a Government hospital. Unfortunately he collapsed before he got to the station and lost consciousness.

He was pronounced dead on admission to the United Bulawayo Hospitals. His death was received with shock around the city and in South Africa where he is well known with tributes flowing in from different quarters. Apart from being among the pioneering group of omalayitsha, “Bongo” was also a businessman and philanthropist who sponsored an amateur football team (Cosmos FC) in his home suburb of Entumbane where he grew up.

The team gave birth to the careers of players such as former Warriors, Highlanders and FC Platinum striker Charles Sibanda, former Zimbabwe Saints and Dynamos FC midfielder Mtshumayeli Moyo, Bulawayo Chiefs head coach Thulani Sibanda, Fortune Ncube (former Bantu Rovers and Lancashire Steel winger), George Majika (Chicken Inn) and Moses Majika (Bulawayo Chiefs). Charles Sibanda said if it was not for “Bongo”, no one would have known him as a football player.

“If it wasn’t for Bongo my career would’ve long ended. He took my friends and I off the streets at a time we’d given up on football and lured us to play for his team Cosmos FC in Entumbane,” said Sibanda.

“At Cosmos he used to give us allowances and football boots. He was really supportive. Cosmos was a stepping stone for my career because after that I went on to play for Hwange, Highlanders, FC Platinum and How Mine. I even played for the national team.”

Clearly a man of the people, his death has touched not only his family but the entire city. But it is the manner of his death that will continue to stir debate. The violent nature of his assailants and their apparent disdain for the law and lack of respect for the sanctity of human life shows that there is something terribly wrong with society. While alcohol might have played a part in sparking the fight and subsequent murder, the aggression displayed by the assailants even when it was apparent their victim was gravely wounded, is a cause for concern.

We have reported several times on these pages of murder cases committed for the flimsiest of reasons and this clearly falls into that category. While the suspects might have been “high” on some stimulant or alcohol during the commission of the crime, the three days they have spent in custody must have been enough to sober them up and bring them face to face with the grim reality of the enormity of their actions.

Taking a life is an irreversible action that has dire consequences. The law must take its course and the suspects should face the full ramifications of its might.