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Sukulwenkosi Dube  Plumtree Correspondent
THE husband of a woman who was axed to death by her lover is demanding compensation from the man’s relatives.
Loveness Moyo, 34, was buried yesterday after she was axed to death on Tuesday by her domestic worker, Dereck Ncube, whom she was allegedly having an affair with in Vaka area, under Chief Tshitshi in Mangwe District.

Ncube, who is expected to be buried tomorrow, also axed the woman’s 12-year-old niece three times leaving her severely injured before committing suicide.

He is alleged to have raped the niece three weeks earlier but his lover swept the matter under the carpet.

The badly injured rape victim is admitted to United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH)’s Intensive Care Unit and her family is appealing for help to meet her medical bills.

The niece was rescued after Moyo’s five-year-old daughter woke up to the horror of her mother’s bloody lifeless body and her unconscious cousin.

Moyo’s husband, Owen Moyo who was in Botswana, where he works when the incident occurred, yesterday told mourners at a family meeting held after Moyo’s burial that he was not aware of the alleged relationship between his wife and their domestic worker.

Some of his wife’s relatives, including her sister Ruth however told The Chronicle earlier this week that the woman was having an adulterous affair with her domestic worker and most locals were aware of the illicit affair.

Moyo said he wanted Ncube’s family to compensate him for the death of his wife.

“I used to treat Ncube as my own brother and I therefore feel betrayed by what he did. I recently brought him shoes and clothes from Botswana as a Christmas present and I didn’t expect him to do such a terrible thing in return,” said Moyo.

He said he expected Ncube’s family to compensate him for costs incurred in burying his wife, medical bills for his 12-year-old niece who is hospitalised and his property which was damaged during the man’s altercation with his wife.

He said he also wanted Ncube’s family to cover the costs of cleansing his homestead and compensate him for the death of his wife.

“I’m very bitter about this incident. This man disrespected me in a great way by breaking into my bedroom and murdering my wife. To make matters worse he was wearing the shoes I bought for him when he committed this offence,” said Moyo.

He said he had planned to spend the Christmas holiday with his wife and children at their homestead.

Ncube’s family recently sent a representative to collect their late son’s national identity card in a bid to process a burial order but the Moyo family refused with the particulars.

Elizabeth, Moyo’s aunt, said they were holding onto Ncube’s property which comprised a bed, his clothes and his particulars.

She said the herdsman’s family had shown  disrespect by sending a young man to collect their son’s particulars.

“This family has shown no remorse. They didn’t even bother to approach us after their son had killed our daughter or to even attend the burial. Instead they sent a young man who arrived on a motor bike to collect the ID,” she said.