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Thandeka Moyo Court Reporter
A POLICE officer was left barely clinging to life after being axed on the forehead by a hired assasin, a court heard.

Siphathisiwe Ncube, 27, of Madlambuzi, Bulilima district, allegedly paid Kumele Ncube with sex to kill Constable Pushmore Gwasira after the police officer collected his girlfriend’s stolen phone from her.

Ncube and Siphathisiwe, both employed as shopkeepers at Madlambuzi Business Centre, yesterday appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Sibongile Msipa-Marondedze facing attempted murder charges.

They pleaded not guilty.

Magistrate Msipa-Marondedze remanded them in custody to January 26.

Concilia Ncube, for the State, alleges that on September 29 last year, at around 9PM, Gwasira who is stationed at ZRP Madlambuzi visited his girlfriend who works at a liquor store.

“Gwasira’s girlfriend told her that Siphathisiwe was in possession of her stolen phone. He then approached Siphathisiwe and recovered the cellphone from her,” said Ncube.

“However, Siphathisiwe was not happy with the way the cellphone was taken from her. She then approached Ncube and told him that she had planned to kill Gwasira and recover back the cellphone.”

The court heard that Siphathisiwe offered to have sex with Ncube for him to assist her to execute her plan.

“The two had intercourse once in Ncube’s hardware shop. Ncube then proceeded to the bottle store and called Gwasira to Siphathisiwe’s shop on the pretext that they wanted to talk over the issue of the phone,” she said.

“Immediately upon entering the shop, Ncube closed the door, picked up a knobkerrie and struck Gwasira twice on both knees and he fell to the floor. Siphathisiwe then came with a small axe which she used to strike Gwasira twice on the forehead and he became unconscious.”

Ncube and Siphathisiwe thought they had killed Gwasira, said the prosecutor, and they took some clothes and cleaned up the blood gushing out of Gwasira’s wound. They allegedly lifted Gwasira’s motionless body and dumped him beside a Blair toilet.

The court heard that Ncube demanded sex as token of appreciation and his wish was granted.

“Gwasira was later found lying in a pool of blood and was taken to hospital for treatment. The matter was reported to Madlambuzi and investigations were carried leading to the pair’s arrest,” said prosecutor, Ncube.