Man kills relative over girlfriend

A Form One drop-out from Matobo District allegedly stabbed a relative to death accusing him of flirting with his girlfriend.

Jacob Moyo from Bazha area, who was 17 when he committed the offence in January last year, appeared before Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Lawrence Kamocha yesterday facing murder charges.

Moyo, 18, had just returned from Botswana to marry his teen girlfriend Thembinkosi Ncube, 18, when hardly a month later, a relative Evidence Thembani Ncube, 27, started proposing love to her.

Ncube of Sigangatsha area in Kezi had come to the area in search of pastures for his cattle because of drought in his home area and was staying at his aunt, Dorcas Ncube's homestead in Bazha where the alleged murder took place.

Dorcas is also Moyo's aunt.

Prosecutors said after warning Ncube to stop proposing his "wife", Moyo allegedly armed himself with a kitchen knife on January 9, 2013, and stabbed him at his aunt's homestead at midnight.

Ncube died instantly, it is said.

Thembinkosi admitted in court that Ncube was flirting with her and that he proposed love to her on three occasions in December 2012.

"He proposed love to me and I turned him down telling him I was married but he kept coming back until I told my husband who promised to chastise him," she told the court.

She also admitted playing cards with Ncube on several occasions despite his sexual advances.

Thembinkosi said Moyo was no longer eating the food she prepared because of Ncube's advances.

Asked if she still loved her husband she said: "He is my husband and I still love him."

Dorcas told how Moyo arrived at her homestead at midnight and threatened to burn Ncube in the hut.

"He came and threatened to burn him and his knobkerries . . .," she said.

In his defence, through his layers of Vonani Majoko and Sandra Sauramba from Majoko and Majoko, Moyo accused Dorcas of lying.

He said he went to Ncube's place after getting a message through Thembinkosi that Ncube wanted to see him when he returned from a beer drink at night.

He, however, said he was surprised that somebody who was not in good books with him would invite   him to his place and decided to arm himself with a knife.

Although admitting that he stabbed Ncube, Moyo said it was accidental as he wanted to stab him on the arm.

Prosecuting, Khumbulani Ndlovu, assisted by Nokuthaba Ngwenya said on January 7, 2013, Moyo arrived home and found his wife and younger sister playing cards with Ncube.

Witnesses said Moyo refused to eat after his wife offered him food and only snatched the cards and left.

Two days later Moyo allegedly armed himself with a kitchen knife and proceeded to Dorcas' place where he knocked on Ncube's door.

He also woke up his cousins and aunt to witness his presence and went on to slap and punch Ncube, the court was told.

An argument ensued and in the process Moyo allegedly stabbed Ncube on the back once below the left shoulder as he tried to flee.

Prosecutors said Ncube collapsed and died instantly and a postmortem report showed that the knife pierced the heart causing haemorrhagic shock.

The State and defence lawyers will today file written closing submissions for Justice Kamocha to start preparing judgment.