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Peter Matika, [email protected]

A 26-YEAR-OLD man from Tsholotsho, who bit off and consumed part of his one-year-old daughter’s face in a suspected case of witchcraft, has been ordered to undergo psychiatric examination by a Bulawayo High Court judge, Justice Christopher Dube-Banda.

Mongameli Nkomo, who is alleged to have fallen into a trance when committing the crime, is said to have been shrieking that his daughter, Andile, was a goblin that was threatening to attack him.

His deceased daughter, who was aged one-year-and-six months, was living with her mother, Miss Nokulunga Mhlanga at her grandparents’ home in Masekesa Village under Chief Gampu in Tsholotsho.

According to High Court records the incident occurred on February 20, 2023 at around 8pm.

The court heard that Miss Mhlanga visited Nkomo at his homestead to spend the night as a family. The pair, according to court records, despite living apart, are customarily married.

It was stated that Nkomo woke up during the dead of the night behaving like he was under a trance and claiming there were goblins that wanted to attack him.

Nkomo is said to have then lunged at his wife Miss Mhlanga before grabbing her right hand and then biting both her middle and ring finger simultaneously before biting her on the left hand.

Miss Nkomo, who was in a state of shock at what was transpiring, got up and tried to rescue the baby from Nkomo who had aggressively snatched her from her hands.

It was further noted that Miss Mhlanga, fearing for her life from Nkomo’s violent behaviour then bolted out of the house to seek help from neighbours.

She is then reported to have returned home with Ms Soneni Tshuma and Mr Vundu Nkomo.

To their shock and disbelief they found Nkomo standing outside his bedroom hut strangling the baby, while biting and screaming for assistance and shouting that people should help him.

The court was told that the baby had stopped wailing but her body had spasm from the trauma.

Mr Vundu Nkomo, the court further heard, attempted to grab the child from Nkomo but failed.

Mhlanga joined in and the two finally managed to subdue Nkomo before they tied his hands and legs with a rope.

However, Nkomo maintained a tight grip around the baby’s neck.

The court was told that he later placed the lifeless body of the child on the ground.

According to post-mortem results, the baby had a deep cut on the forehead, with part of the mouth and chin missing, exposing her jaws and teeth.

The missing flesh was not recovered leading to the belief that Nkomo had chewed and swallowed it.