Woman kills boyfriend with an axe, hides body in bedroom

A woman from Matobo District in Matabeleland South is on the run after allegedly killing her live-in boyfriend with an axe and hiding the body in a bedroom.

Sinqobile Ncube allegedly killed Mabutho Ncube, 35, of Gulathi village in cold blood on Friday and fled their homestead.

She allegedly looted household property, prompting family members to conclude she could have had accomplices who helped her to carry out the vicious attack.

Sinqobile is said to have called Mabutho's brother, Khawulani, on Sunday telling him to go to Mabutho's homestead to check on him.

Family members said they found Mabutho's decomposing body in the house.

"Sinqobile called my brother Khawulani who stays in Bulawayo and told him that she had beaten up Mabutho. She told him to go check on him. Khawulani contacted me, so I called my younger brother who lives closer to his homestead to go and find out what had happened. That's how we discovered that he had been killed," said Qhubani, another brother.

His younger brother, Philani, who went to check, told Chronicle he knew something bad had happened to his brother when he saw dry blood that had seeped under the bedroom door.

"When I opened his bedroom hut there was blood all over. I couldn't believe my eyes it felt like I was dreaming. He was lying there with blood all over his body. His skull was crushed. She could have axed him while he was sleeping," said Philani.

He said Mabutho and Sinqobile were always fighting, adding they started co-habiting five months ago.

"They were fighting almost every day. On Thursday, a day before the incident, I found them choking each other. They've been so violent towards each other; I always feared something bad would happen. I don't know what caused them to fight so much when they had been living together for five months," he said.

"All the property is gone. It's our suspicion that she was assisted by someone. She couldn't have managed to go with all that property alone. She took their wardrobe, clothes and blankets," said Philani.

Chronicle attended Mabutho's burial yesterday and villagers said they wanted the killer(s) caught.

"What pains us is that this woman has been living with us but no one seems to know her. What happened to our culture? Young men consult your elders before marrying, we're gathered here because we failed to mould our youths," said village head Dwayi Ncube.

A neighbour, Sithembinkosi Banda, said she was shocked to hear that Mabutho had been murdered.

"He was a strong young man, a farmer and to hear that he was killed by a woman is shocking," said Banda.

It also emerged Mabutho had a penchant for strange women as Sinqobile was the fifth woman he had lived with in recent years, whose origins were unknown.

"He was a good farmer, he didn't bother anyone for anything but he had only one weakness, women. He had difficulties in keeping a woman. He has four children with four women and this last one was his fifth," said one of the villagers.

Matabeleland South police spokesperson Inspector Philisani Ndebele confirmed the incident.

He urged people to consult elders, religious leaders or the police victim friendly unit for counselling if they had problems.

"Such cases are on the increase and we urge members of the public to seek advice instead of killing each other over petty issues," said Insp Ndebele.