Murder over court order

A-33-YEAR old man from Romney Park suburb in Bulawayo allegedly murdered his ex-girlfriend's sister whose stomach he ripped open exposing her intestines after she barred him from talking to his former lover on Good Friday.

Cornelius Nyoni who is on the run, allegedly stabbed Nonhlanhla Hadebe, 38, with a kitchen knife four times on the left side of her stomach at around 7PM in Pumula East suburb.

The killing was witnessed by the woman's grandmother and cousin who is 11 years old.

The murder comes a year after his former lover, Gracious Mhlanga, 31, was granted a court order, barring Nyoni from physically abusing her after he poured hot porridge on her chest.

It is alleged that Nyoni and his friend, Alois, visited Mhlanga at her place of residence in Pumula East.

Nyoni then sent Alois to inform his ex-lover that he wanted to talk to her.

Mhlanga declined to talk to Nyoni, saying there is a peace order restricting the two from talking to each other, which angered him and led to her sister's stabbing when he went to their house.

The Chronicle visited Pumula East yesterday and managed to talk to Mhlanga who narrated the events leading to her sister's death.

"My sister told Cornelius to leave our home and this angered him. He rushed into our house saying he wanted to teach her a lesson.

"He said Nonhlanhla was not supposed to interfere in our affairs. He broke a door handle with a stone and proceeded to our bedroom. I told Nohlanhla to run away but she refused saying she wasn't scared of him," narrated Mhlanga who looked traumatised.

She said she ran to seek refuge next-door and after a few minutes she heard Nonhlanhla screaming.

"He stabbed her four times in the stomach and her intestines were protruding. We called an ambulance but Nonhlanhla died soon after its arrival," she said.

Mhlanga said Nyoni was very abusive and in July 2014, she had to seek a peace order against him after he poured hot porridge on her chest.

She said Nyoni always promised to kill her and their four-year-old daughter.

Nyoni is still at large and police have since launched a manhunt.

Sizalobuhle Dube, 35, a friend to the late Hadebe, said she saw Nyoni at a local bottle store sharpening a knife saying he wanted to kill someone.

"At around 3PM, I saw Cornelius drinking beer with his friends at a bottle store. He removed a kitchen knife and started sharpening it bragging that he wanted to stab someone.

"I never thought that he would go to the extent of killing Nonhlanhla.

"What did Nonhlanhla do to deserve such a gruesome death? " asked Dube.

Mhlanga's sister, Constance, 45, said her 11-year-old cousin who witnessed the brutal killing has been hallucinating and screaming at night since the tragedy.

"We're very saddened by the death of our sister. Our cousin is now frightened and has been complaining about seeing the whole event recurring during his sleep.

"We're now living in fear and appeal to the police to do all within their powers to arrest this killer before he gets my sister Gracious," said Constance.

Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Mandlenkosi Moyo said yesterday that he was yet to receive the murder report.