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Whinsley Masara, Chronicle Reporter
A 25-YEAR-OLD Jotsholo man has been arrested for allegedly killing his wife (41).

A neighbour identified the remains of Elijah Khumalo’s wife, Sithembiso Mthwasa, by the clothes and wig she was wearing when villagers last saw her, two months after her disappearance on September 7.

A source close to investigations said a villager, Mr Jericho Bhaca (67), stumbled on the remains while herding cattle on November 7.

Khumalo of Menyezwa Village has allegedly confessed to police that he crushed his wife’ skull with four blows using an axe.

He was arrested last Friday.

Khumalo had disappeared on the day his wife’s remains were found.

He is suspected to have murdered his wife after she decided to end their marriage, following a number of disputes.

“The skull had been slashed several times and postmortem results indicated that she had been cut four times on the skull with a sharp object.

“After Khumalo’s arrest and intense investigating, he admitted to have axed Mthwasa four times in the head.”

A neighbour, Patricia Dube (63), said she last saw Mthwasa on September 7.

“The woman said she had had a huge fight with her husband before deciding to go to her home to refresh. She returned on this day and spent the better part of the day at my home where she told me that she had come to collect her belongings.

“She went to her homestead in the evening and that was the last time I saw her. When police summoned villagers to identify the human remains in the bush I noticed that it could be Mthwasa. The clothes and the hair piece were exactly what she wore the last time I saw her,” she said.

A villager who preferred anonymity said the brutal killing had shocked the community.

She said: “Everyone immediately suspected her husband Khumalo because he has been always been a violent man.

“The moment word spread that human remains had been found in the bush, Khumalo disappeared from the village. However, we are grateful for the hard work police put in to capture the cold blooded killer who deserves to rot in jail,” said the villager.

The villager said Khumalo told investigators that he took his wife to the bush where he axed her four times on the head.

“Such ruthless and dangerous people need to be uprooted from our villages and jailed for life because they are a threat to everyone,” said the villager.

National police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said:

“A 41 year old woman was found dead in a suspected murder case in Menyezwa Village, under Chief Mabhikwa in Jotsholo. A suspect was arrested and confessed to having murdered the woman with an axe.”

“Police are urging members of the public entangled in disputes to resolve their differences amicably without resorting to violence.”

@winnie_masara