Zimbabwean man who killed Botswana lover

BOTSWANA police have launched a manhunt for a Zimbabwean man who allegedly killed his lover in Tutume village in Francistown following an altercation.

According media reports in the neighbouring country, Godknows Ncube, who is an illegal immigrant, fatally assaulted his middle-aged lover, a Zimbabwean who was employed as a domestic worker in the same village.

The incident occurred on Monday night.

Police said they suspect that Ncube, who is believed to be in his early 30s, could have fled back to Zimbabwe.

Tutume Police Station commander Superintendent Jerry Halahala expressed concern over an increase in murder cases occurring within his policing area.

He said most of the murder cases were being perpetrated by Zimbabwean illegal immigrants living in villages along the border.

"We have engaged our Zimbabwean counterparts to assist us locate Ncube because our preliminary investigations suggest that he might have fled from the country. We have been grappling with a lot of criminal cases involving Zimbabweans within our policing area for some years," said Supt Halahala.

He attributed crime around Tutume area to its proximity to Zimbabwe.

According to the Mmegi newspaper, this is the second Zimbabwean in nearly two weeks to disappear after being linked to murder.

The first case was recorded in Nkange, which also falls within the Tutume policing area.

In the Nkange incident, a Zimbabwean whose official names remain unknown apart from his sobriquet, "Proper", killed a couple after a heated argument. Proper's whereabouts still remain unknown to the police.

Supt Halahala told the Mmegi that illegal Zimbabweans who reside within Tutume had a tendency of killing people and fleeing the country.

He said police in the area had some cases dating years back in which Zimbabweans engaged in murder, but were never arrested.

One Zimbabwean man dubbed: "the Sebina monster," killed four people in separate incidents in 2013, and he is still at large.

The man killed people in Sebina and Marobela villages, which also fall under the Tutume policing area.

Supt Halahala blamed some Batswana for continuing to harbour illegal immigrants, who then commit crimes and flee. Ncube and Proper were employed as farm workers in Tutume.