Sukulwenkosi Dube  Plumtree Correspondent
A herdsman who axed his married lover to death before turning on her niece whom he left for dead before committing suicide in Mangwe, had raped the girl a few weeks ealier but the matter was swept under the carpet, it emerged yesterday.Loveness Moyo, 34, was murdered by the man she employed to herd cattle, Dereck Ncube, 36, when their extra marital affair turned sour, three weeks after she had swept under the carpet her 12-year-old niece’s rape by her suicidal lover.

After Ncube killed Moyo, he also axed his alleged rape victim, who is now in hospital after he left her for dead.

Moyo was found dead at her homestead in Vaka area, under Chief Tshitshi in Mangwe District, while Ncube was found hanging from a tree following a dispute that arose when the woman attempted to end her illicit affair with her domestic worker while her husband was in Botswana, where he works.

Moyo’s five-year-old daughter woke up to her mother’s lifeless bloody body and her unconscious cousin and alerted her aunt.

Moyo’s elder sister Bekezela Moyo said Ncube raped the 12-year-old girl about three weeks ago, but Moyo blocked family members from reporting her lover to the police.

She said the girl was raped when Moyo had travelled to Botswana, leaving the underage girl under Ncube’s care.

“My niece came to my house and told me that Ncube had raped her. She said Ncube was continuously beating her with a whip and warning her against fleeing from the homestead. She insisted on staying at my homestead until my sister returned and I agreed because she appeared terrified,” said Bekezela.

She said the girl claimed Ncube would force her to sleep in his bedroom and rape her.

Ruth Moyo, who is a younger sister to the late Loveness Moyo, said when her sister returned from Botswana, she was not willing to report the rape to the police.

She said they questioned Ncube about the abuse and he claimed that he could not have raped the girl as he was sick.

Moyo then allegedly started siding with her domestic worker, who was also her lover, while dismissing her niece’s claims that she had been raped.

Ruth said her sister also warned them from interfering with her affair.

Meanwhile, Ncube’s relatives have blamed Moyo for pushing their son to his death as they alleged that she was using him.

Ncube’s mother, Martha Ncube, said her son had been a disciplined man who was not capable of hurting anyone unless seriously provoked.

She said she had learnt that Moyo was having an affair with her son.

“This woman probably sweet talked my son into moving from his homestead in Tshankwa area to her homestead. My son was living a peaceful life and he was earning his money through selling vegetables,” she said.

Martha said she was shocked when she learnt that her son had moved from his homestead in Bulilima District to work for Moyo in Mangwe.

She said her son took all his property and went to live with Moyo without consulting family members.

Martha said the Moyo family was now refusing to hand over her son’s property. She said they had approached the police seeking assistance in collecting the property.

She said Ncube separated with his wife about four years back.

Ncube’s cousin, Ishmael Mkhwananzi, said he proceeded to the Moyo homestead seeking his brother’s national identity card but they refused to give him.

He claimed that Moyo’s family forced him to enter the room where the woman had been murdered.

“They told me to enter the room and see how our cow had been murdered while referring to their relative then they chased me away,” he said.

Moyo will be buried today at her homestead in Mangwe District while Ncube will be buried on Sunday in Bulilima District.

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