Suspect severely assaulted allegedly while in police custody

A WAR veteran from Kezi was severely assaulted allegedly while in police custody after villagers accused him of axing to death his elderly mother before burying her body at his homestead, 'The Chronicle' reported.

Judiah "Vilakalidli" Nyathi, 67, from Mausumane Village in Bazha, was arrested after he was accused of killing his mother by the village head, Sethi Mkhwebu.

Mkhwebu told police officers she heard from a local deaf and dumb man how Nyathi, a successful farmer in Kezi committed the "grisly murder".

Nyathi's mother, a traditional healer in her late 80s, went missing in August this year.

Mkhwebu allegedly told police officers that Nyathi was using his mother's spirit to boost his butternut farming project.

Our news crew visited the area on Thursday and met Nyathi at his homestead where he told of his ordeal.

He said a day earlier, he was picked up by officers from the CID's Homicide section in Plumtree in connection with his mother's disappearance.

"When my mother went missing in August Mkhwebu started circulating rumours to the effect that my nephew, Lungani Ncube, and I had chopped off my mother's head, cut her into pieces before putting her in a sack and burying her near my homestead so as to boost my butternut project," said Nyathi.

Nyathi, who could barely walk, said police officers came to his homestead and ordered him to show them where he had buried his mother.

He said scores of villagers had gathered to witness the supposed exhumation of his mother's body.

"The police officers handcuffed me and Mkhwebu called the whole community to witness the ‘digging up' of my mother's body. Male villagers were ordered to dig up the body and when they found nothing, my nephew and I were taken to a nearby hill where we were severely assaulted," said Nyathi.

He said police officers armed themselves with switches and assaulted him on the thighs and head.

Nyathi said he lost consciousness several times during the assault.

"My nephew saved his skin by escaping although he was handcuffed. The police officers then took me to a police base in Bazha where they continued assaulting me throughout the night. I'm worried about Lungani. He could've hanged himself somewhere in the bush," said Nyathi.

He said the police released him on Thursday morning before transporting him to a rural hospital in a metal coffin.

"A female officer ordered them to stop assaulting me. They then put me in a metal coffin. The stench of a dead body almost choked me. They said ngumnyama kanyoko (killing my mother is the reason for my misfortune)," said Nyathi.

Upon his release, police requested a medical report and Nyathi was treated at a rural hospital. He was then referred to United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) for further treatment.

Village head Mkhwebu maintained her stance that Nyathi had killed his mother.

"A deaf and dumb man who survives on weeding locals' fields for a fee told me everything. Luckily, I understand sign language. This was a heinous crime. He said on that day, he had been hired by Vilakalidli (Nyathi) to weed his field when the war vet's elderly mother visited his homestead.

"The dumb and mute fellow said Vilakalidli and his nephew ambushed the old woman and chopped off her head. They buried her and ordered him never to reveal anything," said Mkhwebu.

She told of her disappointment when villagers failed to retrieve the body.

"You should've been here yesterday (Wednesday). The whole village swarmed his (Nyathi's) homestead to witness this devil being exposed. I suspect he uses his mother's spirit to boost his butternut project. Sadly, the body was not found. He probably moved the body when word got out that he had killed his mother," said Mkhwebu.

She castigated police for releasing Nyathi and for letting his nephew escape.

The village head claimed Nyathi's nephew confessed to the crime and even showed the police the axe that was used to kill the old woman.

She also told The Chronicle that police took the axe as evidence.