By Ziyah News Court Reporter
A enraged man from Plumtree has been found guilty of clod blooded murder after he killed his father and mother in law in a fit of rage resembling mad man. The High Court, sitting in Bulawayo sentenced the accused Tafirei Ndlovu to two life sentences.
Ndlovu was found guilty on two counts of cold blooded murder committed in Plumtree on the 14th of April 2022 with the court agreeing that the offence was committed under aggravating circumstances, noting that the murders were premeditated and involved gratuitous violence.
The court was told that Ndlovu, acting in concert with an accomplice Kudzani Mathukuthu (who remains at large), murdered his father-in-law, Xolani Mpofu, and his mother-in-law, Sibalungele Ncube. The victims were savagely assaulted with axes before being dragged into a kitchen hut, which was then set alight. The harrowing incident unfolded around 02:00 hours and was witnessed by Nomusa Nyoni, Ndlovu’s wife and the daughter of the deceased.
Ndlovu’s wife had left their marital home in Botswana in April 2022 after 13 years of marriage due to marital problems, returning to her parents’ home. On April 13, 2022. The accused had ontacted his mother-in-law, claiming he wanted to reconcile with his wife and in-laws.
However, he arrived in the dead of night and committed the heinous murders. He then kidnapped his wife, forcing her to cross back illegally into Botswana. Fortunately, she managed to alert border police on patrol, and informed them of her kidnapping and her parents’ murders. Ndlovu and his accomplice attempted to flee, but he was apprehended, though his co-accused, managed to escape.