NEW YEAR’S DAY MURDER

Family dumps body at “killer’s” home Demands 16 cattle

THERE was drama at Mzemba Village in Zhombe, Kwekwe when the family of a man who was killed on New Year’s Day dumped the body at the suspected assailant’s homestead and left it for three days demanding 16 cattle as compensation.

The incident occurred two weeks ago when relatives of Leaders Nkomo (25), of Mzemba Village under Chief Ntabeni in Zhombe, allegedly dumped his body at a fellow villager Rodrick Ndlovu’s homestead demanding 16 cattle as compensation after he was accused of having a hand in the killing of the deceased.

According to Ndlovu, Nkomo’s relatives besieged his homestead armed with machetes and dumped the body, accusing him of having a hand in the death of their relative. Ndlovu said the relatives left the body at his homestead for three days and later retrieved it after he paid 10 cattle.

“What happened is that, I was at St Theresa Shopping Centre on the day when a group of young men from my village started fighting. When I tried to restrain them, two people Doit and Prince (Nyathi) allegedly stabbed Leaders several times.

“We heard that he died the following day at Loreto Mission Hospital. So after that incident, Leaders’ body was taken by police for post-mortem. When the body was brought back, his relatives brought it to my place and left it there for three days. They were demanding 16 cattle as compensation. My relatives then contributed 10 cattle and they removed the body. They were accusing me of being one of the people who killed their relative,” he said.

Midlands Police Spokesperson Inspector

Goko confirmed the murder.

“I can confirm that we are investigating a murder case which occurred on New Year’s Day. It is alleged that the now deceased was drinking beer at St Theresa Shopping Centre and an altercation arose between him and fellow villagers Manford Dube, Rodrick Ndlovu and Prince Nyathi.

It is suspected that it degenerated into a fight resulting in Leaders being stabbed on the head below the ear,” he said.

Insp Goko said Leaders was rushed to Kwekwe District Hospital where he died the following morning.

Joel