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Whinsley Masara, Chronicle Reporter
A MAN from Lupane allegedly stripped and axed a man that he suspected to be having an affair with his wife.

Qinisani Tshuma allegedly attacked Mr Washington Ncube (36) from Mbungu village under chief Masola in Gokwe, striking him with an axe several times on the body after finding him seated at his homestead with his wife.

Mr Ncube is batting for life at St Lukes Mission Hospital and Tshuma has been arrested.

The incident occurred on Monday at around 8PM.

A neighbour who spoke on condition of anonymity said Mr Ncube, who is a shop keeper at Sinqobile Business Centre, was at the homestead to collect a Nokia cellphone that he had left being charged.

“Mr Ncube had taken his phone to Tshuma’s homestead which is adjacent to the business centre and given it to Miss Nyathi for charging sometime in the afternoon,” said the neighbour.

“Upon collection in the evening, Ncube sat on the veranda before he was given the phone. Unfortunately, Tshuma arrived and got furious after seeing the two seated on the veranda,” he said.

“Tshuma did not believe his story. He thought Ncube was having an affair with his 22-year-old wife, Junior Nyathi.”

The neighbour said Tshuma accused his wife of infidelity.

“He rushed into his bedroom and grabbed an axe. He forced marched the two into his bedroom. He locked the door before ordering Ncube to strip naked.

“He then struck him twice at the back of both his knees using the back of the axe and once Ncube was on the ground, he further struck him twice in the head with the sharp end of the axe and once on the mouth,” he said.

Tshuma, villagers said, locked his wife and the injured man in his bedroom.

He went to inform the village head, Mrs Viola Dube, of what had transpired.

Mrs Dube said when she arrived, she was shocked to find a bloodied Ncube naked.

She said she asked him to dress up before she could enter the room.

“While he dressed up, I sought help from other villagers and we rushed him to St Luke’s Mission Hospital. We made a report to the police resulting in Tshuma’s arrest.”

Mr Ncube allegedly suffered a fractured skull, a number of loose teeth and lacerations on the body due to the assault.

It is alleged he also lost $100 and his cellphone.

Matabeleland North police spokesperson Sergeant Namatirai Mashona said she had not yet received the report.

@winnie_masara