Friends jailed 27 years for donkey cart murder

Two friends who abducted and brutally murdered a well-known businessman in Lower Gweru using a donkey cart as their getaway vehicle have been sentenced to 27 years in prison, bringing closure to a harrowing case that stunned the Midlands community.

Trust Khoza and Hloniphani Nyoni were convicted of the savage killing of Choice Ncube, a popular entrepreneur, who was abducted from Folomani Bar at Masa Business Centre on 26 June 2018 in a horrifying act of revenge rooted in a year-old grudge.

According to a chilling account released by the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ), the violence began inside the bar, where Nyoni confronted Ncube over a longstanding dispute dating back to 2017. Armed with an axe, Nyoni attempted to attack Ncube, but bar patrons quickly intervened and disarmed him.

What followed was a night of terror.

"The duo dragged Ncube out of the bar, forced him into a donkey-drawn scotch cart, and took him to a secluded spot where they unleashed hours of torment," the NPAZ said.

Over the course of five hours, from midnight to dawn, Khoza and Nyoni savagely beat Ncube using logs, sticks, a knobkerrie, and a rubber whip. Witnesses described the sounds of the assault and Ncube's screams piercing the still night air, as nearby villagers begged the men to stop  -  to no avail.

By morning, Ncube was found naked, swollen, and barely alive. He was rushed to Gweru Provincial Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival due to extensive internal and external injuries.

The brutality of the crime left the community deeply shaken.

Police, aided by local neighbourhood watch members, swiftly arrested Khoza and Nyoni before they could flee. Both men were held in custody throughout the lengthy trial.

Now, nearly seven years later, the Gweru High Court has handed down a sentence of 27 years each, sealing the fate of the duo who turned a village bar into a crime scene and a donkey cart into a makeshift hearse.

"The message is clear: violence will not be tolerated, and justice will be served  -  no matter how long it takes," said a spokesperson from the NPAZ following the sentencing.

The case is being remembered as one of the most shocking acts of vigilante violence in the area's recent history, serving as a grim reminder of how unresolved personal disputes can erupt into deadly consequences.