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Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
A 75-year-old man from the Whunga area in Beitbridge West went berserk and hacked his live in girlified (57) to death with a machete and an axe following an argument.

Sitoboli Maluko killed the woman, Violet Ncube as his 16-year-old stepson watched in shock on Monday last week.

After committing the gruesome murder, Maluko hanged himself on a tree near the crime scene.

The police officer commanding Beitbridge district, Chief Superintendent Tichaona Nyongo confirmed the incident yesterday and that the couple’s bodies were taken to the Beitbridge district mortuary pending post-mortem.

He said initial investigations revealed that Maluko and Ncube started cohabiting at the woman’s homestead as husband and wife in January this year.

“So far, we have established that on April 5 around 0000 hours midnight, Ncube and Maluko had a heated argument over an unknown matter in their bedroom,” said Chief Supt Nyongo.

“On the same date at around 0930 hours, Maluko and Ncube along with his stepson (16) drove their donkey-drawn cart to Sebasa Irrigation Scheme. The accused person had a machete and an axe in the scotch cart”.

He said along the way when they had travelled for about 5 km from their homestead, Maluko suddenly attacked Ncube with a machete and she started running away.

Chief Supt Nyongo said the man followed in hot pursuit and struck the woman on the right knee and she fell down.

He said Maluko chopped off Ncube’s left palm inflicting a deep cut on the right wrist, before striking her on the right side of the neck with an axe.

“After realising she was motionless, he collected his axe and machete from the crime scene. He went on to hang himself from a nearby tree,” said Chief Supt Nyongo.

He said the stepson who had been watching the attacks on his mother in shock later gained strength and returned to the village to inform his sister who then made a report to the police.

Chief Supt Nyongo said Ncube’s body was found lying in a pool of blood while Maluko was recovered from a tree 20 metres from the murder scene.

Chief Supt Nyongo said further investigations into the matter were underway. @tupeyo