Man torches lover's home, hangs self

A 54-year-old Gwanda man ran amok, torched his lover's homestead and hung himself, angry that she had left him sleeping in the kitchen hut.

Tsemi Natala, a widower, had visited his lover Thandekile Sibanda, 48, on Thursday night at her homestead in Sengezane village under Chief Nhlamba, when he lost his marbles setting ablaze all the three huts before he taking his life.

His 19-year-old son who tried to intervene in the dispute, also had to take to his heels when the ballistic Natala set upon him with a flurry of punches.

Sibanda told Chronicle that Natala had been behaving strangely days before the horrific incident.

She said he would inexplicably start crying and sometimes said he wanted to kill someone, then commit suicide.

Chronicle visited the homestead on Friday.

A visibly aggrieved Sibanda said Natala, whom she started seeing in February, got angry when he heard that she was going to sleep leaving him alone in the kitchen hut.

"It was around 8PM. I was in the kitchen with Natala and his son, Smart, when I indicated that I was going to the bedroom hut. Natala was drunk and pretending to be asleep so I told Smart to wake him up or leave him to follow later. I didn't want to cause any trouble, little did I know that he was listening to our discussion. That's when all hell broke loose.

"He erupted and started beating me up. He was also threatening to kill me. I was saved by Smart who intervened and held his father's hands. Infuriated, he turned on him. I ran away and sought refuge at a nearby homestead," said Sibanda adding that Smart also had to flee Natala's rage.

She said Natala who was acting like he was possessed was left at the homestead cursing and swearing.

About 30 minutes later, her homestead was on fire Sibanda said.

She, together with other villagers rushed to see what was happening, but it was too late.

She said they saw Natala's body hanging from a mopane tree outside the burning huts.

Sibanda said villagers called the police.

"The most painful thing was that I had to watch all my property burn to ashes. I had 20 bags of maize, all reduced to ashes. I can't describe the pain I am feeling about this whole incident and I still don't understand why he decided to put me through such pain," she said.

Sibanda said Natala could have been driven by evil spirits as he had in the days before his death, indicated that he "felt like killing someone and thereafter killing himself."

She told Chronicle that Natala once cried throughout the night over unclear reasons while repeating his desire to kill.

Sithembile Msema, Sibanda's aunt, said: "Were it not for Smart, it could have been a different story. Thandekile could've been killed. I think he burnt the homestead to fix her for once running away from him. Everything was burnt and the only thing she is left with is a wheelbarrow and the clothes on her back.

"We suspect he used matches to burn the houses because a matchbox was found under the tree where he hanged himself," she said.

By afternoon, some of the property was still smouldering while Sibanda had relocated to her aunt's homestead nearby.

"We buried him today (Friday) because his body was swollen and already going bad because of exposure to heat. We are still in shock," said Msema.

Smart said he could not believe his father was gone.

"He did not show any signs of distress. I am finding it hard to come to terms with what happened," said the visibly shaken young man.

The estimated value of destroyed property is $6,000.

Comment could not be obtained from Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson Inspector Philisani Ndebele.