Siphakeme .Mnindwa
Leonard Ncube, leonard.ncube@chronicle.co.zw
A LUPANE man is fighting for his life at Mpilo Central Hospital’s intensive care unit in Bulawayo after suffering a fractured skull and severe injuries in a gruesome machete attack allegedly carried out by four men, including his cousin.
The suspects, Wisdom Dube (25), Ardon Sibanda (24), Ephraim Gumbo (28) and Brighton Ncube (25), all from Chimwara Village, are accused of attacking Mr Nkosikhona Masukume and later dumping his unconscious body on the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls highway in an attempt to stage a hit-and-run scenario.
The attack occurred during the early hours of New Year’s Day after the group attended a party in Chimwara 2. Villagers said the gathering involved excessive drinking of illicit alcohol.
The suspects assaulted Mr Masukume with machetes, leaving him unconscious. Believing he was dead, they loaded his body into a vehicle owned by Sibanda and abandoned him on the busy highway, hoping passing vehicles would run over him and obscure their crime.
A Good Samaritan discovered Mr Masukume and placed a log on the road to alert drivers, preventing further harm. The victim was later found by a truck driver who stopped at Halfway Hotel and reported the incident to authorities.
Doctors treating Mr Masukume revealed that he sustained multiple injuries, including fractured ankles from repeated strikes, which may result in the amputation of one leg.
The attack has shocked the Chimwara and Halfway communities, with villagers urging police to investigate this case thoroughly. They suspect it could be linked to four similar incidents in recent years, where bodies were found on roads in Cross Jotsholo and Gwayi, believed to have been staged as accidents to conceal murders.
Community members also called on authorities to clamp down on illegal shebeens, which they blame for fuelling violence in the area. Villagers said party revellers had been drinking illicit beer.
When Mr Masukume regained consciousness in the hospital, he identified his attackers, leading to their arrest.
The accused appeared separately before Hwange magistrates Mrs Rumbidzai Kabasa-Bonzo and Ms Fungai Dzimiri on charges of attempted murder. They were remanded in custody until January 31 and have not yet entered pleas.
Villagers expressed outrage over the incident, with many describing it as a wake-up call for stronger law enforcement to address rising crime in the area. — @ncubeleon.
mbulelo smpofu
