Man kills girlfriend in row, keeps body for two days

A MAN from Victoria Falls allegedly strangled his girlfriend after accusing her of infidelity and kept the body in his room for two days.

The alleged murder took place on Sunday night in Low Density suburb where Bothwell Nkomo (28) was employed as a domestic worker. Police have confirmed the arrest of Nkomo for the murder of his girlfriend aged 24, who had visited him.

The incident comes as cases of crimes of passion are prevalent in communities. It is not clear whether the two had a physical fight or argument before she died.

Indications are that Nkomo may have killed his girlfriend on Sunday and stayed in his room at his work-place with the body.

Matabeleland North provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Glory Banda, said investigations were in progress

“He states that he strangled her when he discovered that she was having an affair with other men,” said Insp Banda.

He urged conflicting parties to resolve their disputes peacefully, saying the police in Matabeleland North would not hesitate to deal with those who take the law into their own hands.

“Those who objectify and abuse women at will shall not be spared,” he said.

In a separate case, Insp Banda said police in Mbembesi arrested three men who had allegedly stolen nine goats from a villager in Ntabazinduna.

The three suspects raided a goat pen around 3am and released nine goats, which they drove away. They were intercepted by alert villagers who foiled the theft before they could reach the Cingweni area in Mbembesi.

The villagers alerted police who quickly reacted and arrested the suspects and all stolen goats were recovered.

While this community was able to respond quickly, Insp Banda advised farmers to protect their livestock by tightening security and branding them.

“We would like to implore community members to maximise the security of their livestock for example by forming WhatsApp groups where they can communicate and share information about what will be happening.

“It is also necessary to have our livestock branded with the owner’s information if there is a recovery. Also in execution of our mandate to curb crime, we appeal to the community to continue supporting policing initiatives, especially by tipping us off,” said Insp Banda.