Church elder in court over gruesome axe murder of his wife

A 43-year-old church elder from Bulawayo's Nkulumane 5 suburb has appeared in court on murder charges after allegedly killing his wife with an axe before assaulting his children and forcing one of them to damage property.

Ackim Bongani Dube appeared before Western Commonage magistrate Ms Sikhethile Moyo on Saturday charged with the murder of his wife, Ms Memory Makathini.

He was not asked to plead and was remanded in custody until August 7. The court advised him to apply for bail at the High Court.

Prosecutor Tafara Dzimbanhete told the court that the alleged incident occurred at around 1am on July 24, 2026, following a domestic dispute between Dube and his wife over an undisclosed matter.

The State alleges that during the altercation, Dube struck his wife twice on the head with an axe, inflicting fatal injuries.

According to the prosecution, after the alleged attack, Dube turned on the couple's children and assaulted them with a metal rod.

The court also heard that he allegedly ordered his 15-year-old son to smash windows and doors inside the house.

The children later escaped to a neighbour's residence, from where police were alerted.

Police responded to the scene and arrested Dube.

The injured children were taken to Mpilo Central Hospital for treatment, where they remain admitted.

The matter was postponed to August 7 for routine remand proceedings while investigations continue.