News / Local
'Mistress killed him for the money'
06 May 2014 at 10:25hrs | Views
A British national whose brother died in Bulawayo after he 'hung' himself on a burglar bar, Tuesday told the court he suspected his brother's lover had planned his death so she could inherit his wealth.
Robert Alexander Wood, who was a director at Goodenough Mine in Matopo, was 55 when he met his death, reportedly by hanging himself on the window of a spare bedroom at their Fourwinds home in the early hours of March 10 2012.
His brother, Ian Christopher, testified during an inquest on his death before Bulawayo provincial magistrate Enias Magate at the Tredgold courts on Monday.
Christopher told the court he suspected foul play in his brother's death, saying his 'mistress', Henrietta Dube, whom he was staying with, had a love affair with another man.
"I suspect foul play. Henrietta said they had been drinking and they came back home very late. She said he told her that he wanted to sleep in the spare bedroom. When she opened the door the following morning she found Robert hanging," said Christopher.
"He had hung himself with his own trousers belt. Robert was in a drunken state, he could not even drive."
"She killed him for the money," he said.
According to a summary of the case, on March 9 2012 Wood arrived in Bulawayo from Harare where he had gone for a business meeting.
He met up with his wife, Dube, to whom he was customarily married and were co-directors of the gold mine in Matopo.
The couple reportedly went to Bulawayo Athletics Club in the company of their friends, Nkosilathi Roderick Dube, a police officer and Mandlenkosi Nkala, a taxi driver.
They allegedly drank alcohol until midnight and they all left to the now deceased's house.
Roderick Dube drove Wood's car as he was in a drunken state while Nkala followed behind in his taxi, so he could drive the latter back into town.
When they arrived at Fourwinds, the now deceased reportedly went to sleep in the spare room. At about 0845hrs, the following day, Wood's body was found hanging from a burglar bar inside the spare bedroom.
Wood had also bled from the genital organs, a condition which a doctor who compiled the postmortem report described as having probably been caused by ruptured veins.
The body of the deceased was taken to United Bulawayo Hospitals for forensic examination and it was concluded that the cause of Wood's death was asphyxia, hanging and suicide.
Nkosilathi and Mandlenkosi testified during yesterday's session of the inquest.
Mandlenkosi told the court that he was the first person that Henrietta contacted when she found Wood hanging from the spare bedroom on the fateful day.
The inquest continues Tuesday.
Robert Alexander Wood, who was a director at Goodenough Mine in Matopo, was 55 when he met his death, reportedly by hanging himself on the window of a spare bedroom at their Fourwinds home in the early hours of March 10 2012.
His brother, Ian Christopher, testified during an inquest on his death before Bulawayo provincial magistrate Enias Magate at the Tredgold courts on Monday.
Christopher told the court he suspected foul play in his brother's death, saying his 'mistress', Henrietta Dube, whom he was staying with, had a love affair with another man.
"I suspect foul play. Henrietta said they had been drinking and they came back home very late. She said he told her that he wanted to sleep in the spare bedroom. When she opened the door the following morning she found Robert hanging," said Christopher.
"He had hung himself with his own trousers belt. Robert was in a drunken state, he could not even drive."
"She killed him for the money," he said.
According to a summary of the case, on March 9 2012 Wood arrived in Bulawayo from Harare where he had gone for a business meeting.
He met up with his wife, Dube, to whom he was customarily married and were co-directors of the gold mine in Matopo.
The couple reportedly went to Bulawayo Athletics Club in the company of their friends, Nkosilathi Roderick Dube, a police officer and Mandlenkosi Nkala, a taxi driver.
They allegedly drank alcohol until midnight and they all left to the now deceased's house.
Roderick Dube drove Wood's car as he was in a drunken state while Nkala followed behind in his taxi, so he could drive the latter back into town.
When they arrived at Fourwinds, the now deceased reportedly went to sleep in the spare room. At about 0845hrs, the following day, Wood's body was found hanging from a burglar bar inside the spare bedroom.
Wood had also bled from the genital organs, a condition which a doctor who compiled the postmortem report described as having probably been caused by ruptured veins.
The body of the deceased was taken to United Bulawayo Hospitals for forensic examination and it was concluded that the cause of Wood's death was asphyxia, hanging and suicide.
Nkosilathi and Mandlenkosi testified during yesterday's session of the inquest.
Mandlenkosi told the court that he was the first person that Henrietta contacted when she found Wood hanging from the spare bedroom on the fateful day.
The inquest continues Tuesday.
Source - Zim Mail
