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Fairness Moyana Hwange Correspondent
POLICE have arrested two suspected hookers and a cook at a hotel for allegedly fatally assaulting a former Hwange Colliery Company Athletics club athlete and dumping his body outside a funeral parlour. A security guard stumbled on Sebastian Simukancha’s body early Monday morning last week, in a drainage trench outside Nyaradzo Funeral parlour in the coal mining town.

The body was riddled with wounds from the assault. The trio, Queen Munkuli (37), Gracious Ncube (22) and Donald Sibanda (32) of Railways Quarters, Thulani hotel and 207 Ngumija were arrested last Wednesday.

They appeared in court for initial remand, charged with murder. Provincial magistrate, Portia Mhlanga, remanded the trio in custody to August 18. The prosecutor, Ms Loveness Maseko, said on July 31 Simukancha, who had just been paid his salary, was drinking at around 11pm at Thulani hotel.

She said he had a misunderstanding over an unspecified issue with Munkuli which degenerated into a fight. On noticing that her friend was involved in a fight Ncube joined in and struck Simukancha on the forehead with an empty beer bottle, the court heard.

“In no time Sibanda who is a cook at the hotel later joined in the assault before punching and kicking Simukancha several times all over the body,” said Ms Maseko. The court heard Simukancha sustained head and body injuries, which caused his death — according to the postmortem report.

The State opposed bail arguing that the trio was a flight risk as they faced a serious offence with a possibility of capital punishment.