Man catches ex-lover pants down, sets hut on fire

Following a heartbreak, a man from Kensington faced further distress when he discovered his former partner in bed with another man. Enraged, he set fire to the hut they were in before attacking the man with a machete.

Mandlenkosi Mhlanga (40), a resident of Kensington Farm on the outskirts of Bulawayo, appeared before Esigodini resident magistrate Prince Jeconia Ncube, charged with two counts of attempted murder.

He did not enter a plea and was remanded in custody until May 24, when he will appear before a regional magistrate in Gwanda.

According to the prosecution, on an unspecified date in February this year around 11:30 pm, Mhlanga visited his former lover in the Sigola area. Peering through a window, he allegedly witnessed her with another man in bed.

Incensed, Mhlanga demanded entry, but she refused. In a fit of rage, he secured the door with wire and set the kitchen hut ablaze. As the flames engulfed the room, the woman escaped through the window while her companion fled through the door.

Pursuing the man, Mhlanga caught up with him and assaulted him with a machete, striking his shoulder and punching him repeatedly. He was eventually subdued by a villager, and the incident was reported to the police, resulting in Mhlanga's arrest.