News / Regional
Granny axed to death over witchcraft
03 Nov 2014 at 06:56hrs | Views
A 65-YEAR-OLD grandmother from Mayfair in Fort Rixon was last Friday struck with an axe on the forehead and all over the body and killed allegedly by her husband and niece who reportedly accused her of practicing witchcraft.
The chilling revelations came to light when Moses Mhlanga (56) and Musa Moyo (28) appeared before Gwanda magistrate Sheila Nazombe jointly charged with murdering Lucy Ndlovu.
The two were not asked to plead when they briefly appeared in court, but were remanded in custody to November 13. They were advised to apply for bail at the High Court.
The deceased was reportedly last seen walking with Moyo, who was swearing at her warning he was going to deal with her. Unconfirmed reports indicate that Moyo had in the past month been visiting a traditional healer who told her she was being bewitched by her grandmother.
Court records indicate the State will call witnesses who saw Moyo shouting and threatening her grandmother with unspecified action, as they walked towards their homesteads.
Ndlovu never made it to her homestead and was found dead the following morning after Mhlanga and some villagers launched a manhunt for her. She was found dead in the bush about a kilometre from the main road, with multiple injuries all over her body.
However, Moyo later implicated Mhlanga during interrogation, saying he was the one who struck Ndlovu with an axe leading to her death.
Moyo alleges Mhlanga promised to give her a cow if she remained silent about the incident. Both Mhlanga and Moyo, who is the first accused person, looked dazed in the courtroom, as the charges were read out to them.
The two indicated they would be pleading not guilty to the charge when the trial resumes.
Prosecutor Edward Ndlovu told the court that on October 24 at Plot Number 19 Mayfair in Fort Rixon, Moyo and Mhlanga assaulted the deceased several times on both hands and forehead with an axe.
The chilling revelations came to light when Moses Mhlanga (56) and Musa Moyo (28) appeared before Gwanda magistrate Sheila Nazombe jointly charged with murdering Lucy Ndlovu.
The two were not asked to plead when they briefly appeared in court, but were remanded in custody to November 13. They were advised to apply for bail at the High Court.
The deceased was reportedly last seen walking with Moyo, who was swearing at her warning he was going to deal with her. Unconfirmed reports indicate that Moyo had in the past month been visiting a traditional healer who told her she was being bewitched by her grandmother.
Court records indicate the State will call witnesses who saw Moyo shouting and threatening her grandmother with unspecified action, as they walked towards their homesteads.
However, Moyo later implicated Mhlanga during interrogation, saying he was the one who struck Ndlovu with an axe leading to her death.
Moyo alleges Mhlanga promised to give her a cow if she remained silent about the incident. Both Mhlanga and Moyo, who is the first accused person, looked dazed in the courtroom, as the charges were read out to them.
The two indicated they would be pleading not guilty to the charge when the trial resumes.
Prosecutor Edward Ndlovu told the court that on October 24 at Plot Number 19 Mayfair in Fort Rixon, Moyo and Mhlanga assaulted the deceased several times on both hands and forehead with an axe.
Source - Southern Eye
