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Patrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief
A FARM worker from Somabula, Midlands province, was assaulted, put in a sack and thrown into a river as punishment for allegedly having an extra marital affair with a married woman. Fainos Ndlovu, 29, of Vlackfontein Farm, is now recovering at Gweru Provincial Hospital from injuries he sustained after he was assaulted by Leon Sibanda, Maxen Moyo, Ndaba Moyo and an unidentified fourth person on suspicion that he was having an affair with Nyarai Chigayo.

Chigayo is Sibanda’s wife.

Sibanda, 27, and Maxen Moyo, 29, have since been arrested while Ndaba Moyo and the fourth suspect are still at large.

Sibanda of Plot 9 in Fairfield, who is employed as a farm keeper, and Maxen of Plot 7, also in Fairfield, who is unemployed, yesterday appeared before Gweru magistrate Judith Taruvinga facing two counts of assault and one of robbery involving $69 cash.

Sibanda and Maxen pleaded not guilty to the charge when they briefly appeared before Taruvinga and were remanded in custody to March 30 for trial.

For the State, prosecutor Daniel Tafuma, told the court that on February 27, Sibanda, Maxen, Ndaba and an unknown person met and agreed to go to Ndlovu’s homestead and assault him.

Tafuma said Maxen handcuffed Ndlovu while the others took turns to assault him several times all over his body with a log and booted feet,” Tafuma said.

“Maxen then searched Ndlovu’s pockets while the others were holding him and took $69 cash,” said the prosecutor.

Ndlovu was then placed in an empty sack before he was thrown into a river. Tafuma said the four later removed Ndlovu from the river and tied him to a tree before further assaulting him.

“They left Ndlovu tied to a tree the whole night,” he said.

On the following day, Tafuma said, Maxen and Sibanda took Ndlovu to Dorset police base and told the duty officers that they had brought him because he was having an extra marital affair with Sibanda’s wife.

“On their way to the police base, Sibanda urinated on Ndlovu,” Tafuma said.

The duo was immediately arrested by the police.