Man knifed to death over stolen cellphone

A FORT Rixon man was allegedly stabbed and left for dead in a bush by a fellow imbiber following a brawl at a beer hall over a stolen phone.

Mkhululi Khumalo, 30, appeared yesterday before Bulawayo provincial magistrate Sibongile Msipa facing a charge of attempted murder.

He pleaded not guilty and was remanded in custody to December 31.

"Your worship I didn't stab Thembelani Maphosa," said Khumalo.

Maphosa said, in his warned and cautioned statement, the brawl started when the owner of the beer hall lost his cellphone.

"The owner of the beer hall we were drinking in tasked me to search everyone for his missing cellphone," said Maphosa.

"When I was searching Khumalo, he got angry and became violent. I decided to leave him alone and left the beer hall with Comment Nyoni," said Maphosa.

Nyoni of Malunga Mine Pioneer, Fort Rixon, confirmed Maphosa's story saying Khumalo followed them with an unknown man.

"I ran home but Khumalo didn't turn up until morning. I then went to look for him the following morning at around 8AM and found him at Willowash stamping mill stabbed."

Prosecuting, Charles Danda told the court that on December 14 at Willowash stamping mill, Khumalo and Maphosa were drinking beer.

"While they were drinking, the beer hall owner's phone got stolen and he tasked Maphosa to help him search for it," said Danda.

Maphosa searched Khumalo and he got angry.

The court heard that Maphosa left the beer hall trying to avoid Khumalo but he chased after him.

When he drew nearer, Maphosa decided to run into the bush seeking refuge.

Khumalo allegedly ran after him and stabbed him once with a knife at the back then ran away.

A report was made at Fort Rixon Police Station leading to his arrest but the knife was not recovered.