Man 'strangles' terminally ill wife to death

A GWANDA man, tired of nursing his terminally ill wife, strangled her to death, the Bulawayo High Court heard yesterday.

Habathusi Ncube, 47, of Mawane village in the Guyu area, allegedly strangled his wife of 21 years, Sinikiwe Nkala, 35, using a rope made out of strips from a blanket.

His trial heard devastating witness testimony from his sister-in-law who said she saw him strangle his wife after telling her: "Sengikuqeda (I'm finishing you)."

Ncube is charged with murder, but he indicated to Justice Andrew Mutema that he was prepared to plead guilty to a lesser charge of culpable homicide. He denies an intention to kill his wife.

Thompson Hove, for the state, said on August 6, 2013, shortly after 8PM, Ncube arrived home from Zendere Farm where he rents a grocery shop after having been summoned by his in-laws through his uncle Mpendulo Ncube, 73, to attend to his terminally ill wife.

The court heard that on his arrival at the homestead, Ncube was told that his in-laws had come to visit his wife and left for their homestead after expressing their disappointment with Ncube for neglecting her.

The statements made by his in-laws allegedly angered Ncube who took a blanket, made rope and proceeded to the room where his ill wife was. He allegedly strangled her.

Ncube's sister-law, Silibaziso Nxumalo, took the witness stand and told court: "I was sleeping at my home when I was awakened by Ncube's son, Professor, who said he was sent by his father to ask me to come to his homestead.

"When I arrived at Ncube's homestead I found him seated at the veranda of his house with a bottle of spirit (brandy) in his hand."

Nxumalo said Ncube then demanded to know the purpose of his in-laws' visit.

"He then said he was going to kill his wife and he untied from a tree a rope made from a piece of blanket and proceeded to the room where his wife was seated on a sofa," said Nxumalo.

Nxumalo said she overheard Ncube shouting, "Nkala sengikuqeda (I'm now finishing you)."

"I ran away from Ncube's homestead with all the other children and I could hear Nkala screaming," she said.

Nxumalo told the court that she rushed to a neighbour, Aaron Moyo's homestead and informed him about the incident.

"I then went and hid in the bush where I slept with Ncube's two children until around 5AM. When we returned to Ncube's homestead, villagers and police officers were gathered at the scene. Police took Nkala's body to Gwanda Provincial Hospital mortuary while Ncube was arrested," she said.

Mpendulo, who is the village head, told court: "My neighbour, Aaron Moyo, came to my home while I was sleeping and asked me to accompany him to Ncube's homestead because he had heard an altercation between Ncube and his wife.

"When we arrived, Ncube wasn't home and he later arrived and before we could even get an opportunity to inquire about their dispute with his wife, police arrived."

Ncube, through his lawyer Thompson Mabhikwa denied intentionally killing his wife, arguing that he only wrapped her with a blanket to warm her.

He said he had walked into the house and found Nkala seated on the sofa shivering.

"She was crying. I sat beside her and wrapped her in blanket to warm her up since she was shivering. I was so stressed up and drunk and I believe I may have used excessive force in the process leading to her suffocating. I didn't strangle her with a rope as alleged," said Ncube.

A postmortem report concluded the cause of death was strangulation, asphyxia and homicide.

The trial continues today.