Women 'savagely' raped and beaten to death

TWO women were allegedly raped and brutally killed while two men were robbed and killed in separate incidents in Bulawayo between last Tuesday and Friday.

Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Precious Simango said in the first incident, a woman was found half dressed with used condoms around her and she bled from the nose.

She said a 33-year-old man had been arrested and was assisting police with investigations.

"A body of a woman identified as Priscillar Ndlovu (26) was found at around 7AM on Friday along Nugget Road in the Westgate area.

"The deceased had her skirt lifted up to her chest and had no underwear. Used condoms were scattered near the body and she bled from the nose," said Insp Simango.

She said police suspect the woman was beaten to death during the rape incident.

In the second incident, an unidentified woman was found dead on a veranda at the Corner of 12th Avenue and Fort Street on Friday morning.

People living near the scene said the woman, who walked with a pronounced limp and had a crippled arm, was a suspected prostitute who frequented Waverly Hotel.

"I am not sure about the woman's name but it is alleged that she stays in Mpopoma suburb. Every day we would see her walk to Waverly Hotel in the afternoon.

"We heard on Thursday night she left Waverly Hotel having informed her colleagues that she had received a phone call from one of her regular clients whom she was going to attend to outside.

"She never returned and that was the last they saw of her. On Friday morning when we arrived for work at that building, we found her body on one of the verandas. She had her skirt up to her waist and had no underwear. She had a deep cut on the back of her head and she lay in a pool of blood," said a source that preferred anonymity.

The source said the woman had been savagely raped before the gruesome killing.

In the third incident, Insp Simango said an identified man was found lying unconscious, with a deep cut at the back of the head along Birkenhead Road opposite Pumula Bar in Sizinda suburb on Tuesday at around 11PM.

"The deceased is approximately 34-years-old, medium built, brown in complexion, about 1,5 metres tall, long faced with a short beard and black afro hair.

"He wore a pair of grey trousers, white African attire shirt, on top of it was a yellow long sleeved sweater, a blue jacket, red cap and black patapata slippers," she said.

A passerby who found the body called an ambulance and the now deceased was rushed to the United Bulawayo Hospitals where he was admitted into the Intensive Care Unit.

Insp Simango said the man died at around 7PM on Wednesday.

Post mortem results show the man died due to bleeding as a result of assault.

Another unidentified man was also found dead along a gravel road in Mpopoma suburb on Thursday.

Insp Simango said the victim is also suspected to have been robbed and killed as struggle marks were observed at the scene.

All bodies were taken to the UBH mortuary.

Police, Insp Simango said, were worried about an upsurge in cases of violent crime.

"This kind of behaviour by members of the public is worrisome. Surely people have lost morals and no longer respect and value life.

"Police are worried about such disturbing behaviour. We will, however, continue to work tirelessly to ensure such culprits are all brought to book," she said.