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Leonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
A jealous man from Nkayi District in Matabeleland North who axed his pregnant married girlfriend 12 times resulting in her death after she decided to end their relationship, was yesterday sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Ndabezinhle Ncube, 35, of Tshugulu area in Nkayi, openly shed tears before Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Martin Makonese as he described his love for the now deceased, Thobekani Masuku, 21

Justice Makonese is on circuit in Hwange.

Ncube told the court that he had to sell his property to raise money to pay for the deceased’s medication because he wanted to marry her.

Pleading for leniency, Ncube told the court that he was pained because Masuku had lied to him that she was not married only to discover the truth when the ‘injiva’ husband returned.

“I loved her and I was overpowered by the devil when she told me that she was reconciling with her husband. She discovered she had cancer and I did piece jobs and sold all my belongings to pay some prophets and take her to hospital in a bid to save her life since I wanted to marry her.

“She had lied that she separated with her husband. I got angry when she told me she was reconciling with him. I started thinking about how I abandoned my wife and three children for her and sold my property to take her to hospital since I wanted to marry her yet she was now becoming evasive,” said Ncube as he struggled to contain tears.

Ncube murdered Masuku in front of her nine-year-old nephew last April. The nephew, who has since relocated to South Africa, is said to have been traumatised by the gruesome murder which has seen him experiencing hallucinations.

Ncube told the court that trouble started when he saw a text message sent to Masuku by the injiva, Musa Mbano on her mobile phone.

Masuku was pregnant with Ncube’s baby when she met her death. She had told Ncube that she would dump their baby and reconcile with her husband, Mbano.

Masuku and her injiva husband had a two-year-old child together.

Justice Makonese found Ncube guilty of murder with actual intent and sentenced him to an effective 35 years imprisonment.

Passing sentence, Justice Makonese said Ncube escaped life in prison because he found in his favour that he had been provoked.

Masuku’s nephew testified in camera because of his traumatised state and age. “We were coming from the clinic when we met him. They started talking about their affair and asked me to excuse them which I did. I was standing 10 metres away when he struck her with an axe. I fled when he struck her the third time,” the boy said.

Prosecuting, Namatirai Ngwasha said in April last year, Ncube and Masuku had a misunderstanding that emanated from their affair. Ncube axed her 12 times and she died on the spot. He thereafter tried to commit suicide but ended up throwing the axe into Gweru River before fleeing to his aunt’s place in Zhombe where he was later arrested.

The post-mortem report showed that Masuku had 12 axe wounds.