Tout murdered, body dumped in bushes

A 30-year-old Plumtree tout was found dead with his body dumped in a bush, Chronicle reported.

Witnesses said they suspected a group of recently released prisoners were responsible for the murder.The tout was discovered lying in a bushy area at Hlalani Kuhle area and has been identified as Mandla Nhare.

Nhare is suspected to have been attacked while on his way from a beer drink on Wednesday night.

"Nhare normally leaves for work in the early hours of the morning only to return late at night. After work, he used to pass through a bottle store to get a few drinks before proceeding home.

"He normally used a path which cut through a bushy area but the route was always safe until recently when we learnt that some people were robbed by a group of unidentified thugs rampant in the area," said Brian Moyo, who identified himself as Nhare's neighbour.

A relative of the deceased who was also his neighbour, Abigail Khupe, said Nhare's death had shocked the entire family.

"I was shocked when neighbours came with the news of my cousin's death. I could not believe it had happened until I saw him lying lifeless on the ground.  We are wondering whether he could have picked up a fight with someone leading to his murder or whether he was attacked by thugs because at this point anything is possible and we are still trying to figure out what happened," said Khupe.

She added: "Our area was safe up until recently when some prisoners from Plumtree were released. We suspect that some of those who returned teamed up and they are now starting their hooliganism once again."

The councillor of the area, Similo Ndlovu, said he had recently received several reports about people that were being attacked in his area.
"Of late I have been receiving reports on people who are being attacked by thugs. We did not have such a problem all along. It appears that the area which is the most affected is Hlalani Kuhle area as people have lost their valuables to thugs.

"It has become highly unsafe for people to travel during the night and this incident in particular comes as a huge blow to us. It is in times like this that we really need protection from the police," said Clr Ndlovu.

Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson Inspector Philisani Ndebele confirmed the incident but said no arrests had been made. He said police were carrying out investigations to catch the culprits.