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Rival suitor fight sparks spear, knife attack
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Victim dies metres from police station gate
The late Tinos Ncube
Nqobile Tshili Chronicle Correspondent
A 21-YEAR-OLD Tsholotsho man died metres from a police station after three villagers brutally attacked him with axes, spears and knives.
Police tracked down and arrested the three attackers on Sunday following the death of Tinos Ncube on Christmas Eve.
Villagers told The Chronicle yesterday that Tinos Ncube from Filisi village under Chief Gampu was killed in a revenge attack after he and his friends had assaulted a rival suitor.
His attackers, identified only as Similo, Madamara and Felix, allegedly struck him four times on the head with an axe, cut off one of his fingers and stabbed him on the back.
They dumped the bloodied Tinos near Mathe Dam, said the villagers.
“Passersby found him groaning in pain and they rushed him to Tsholotsho Police Station. He breathed his last at the gate,” said a villager.
The three suspects are being held at Tsholotsho Police Station.
The Chronicle yesterday visited Ncube’s homestead and spoke to his grandfather Mawiyo Ncube who narrated the savage attack on his grandson.
Ncube said the family was still struggling to come to terms with his death.
“We only heard that Tinos and his friends had attacked a boy named Mthulisi whom they assaulted until he lost consciousness. After the attack, Mthulisi’s friends are said to have armed themselves with spears, axes and knives which they used to attack my grandson,” he said.
Ncube said after Tinos was attacked his friends came to report to him that he had been killed and he attended to the scene.
“When I arrived at the scene there was blood everywhere,” said Ncube.
“He was struck with an axe four times on the head and stabbed all over the body. He had his finger cut off and was bleeding profusely from stab wounds I suspect were inflicted by a spear,” he said.
Ncube said Tinos had a “deep and scary” wound on his back.
“We rushed him to Tsholotsho Police Station after making a report to our traditional leaders.
“He died at Tsholotsho Centre as we were about to reach the police station on Thursday night,” he said.
Ncube said the men who killed his grandson were aged between 20 and 24 years, adding two of them were brothers.
Ncube said the family was awaiting a postmortem report to go ahead with burial.
Sichelesile Khumalo who witnessed the incident said Tinos died horribly.
She said Felix and his friends were angry after Tinos’ gang beat up Mthulisi.
“They started fighting at about 6PM on December, 23 near the shops. They (Tinos) and his friends assaulted Mthulisi until he lost consciousness. We had to pour three buckets of water on him to resuscitate him,” said Khumalo.
A comment could not be obtained from Matabeleland North police spokesperson Inspector Siphiwe Makonese as she said she was not at work.