Crimes and Courts
GWERU \u2013 Two men who abducted and bludgeoned a prominent Lower Gweru businessman to death using a donkey cart as their escape vehicle were sentenced to 27 years in prison on Friday, closing a seven-year legal saga that horrified the Midlands community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trust Khoza (34) and Hloniphani Nyoni (36) were convicted of the June 2018 murder of Choice Ncube, a beloved local entrepreneur, in a revenge attack stemming from a 2017 grudge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gweru High Court Judge Justice Emilia Muchawa described the crime as \u201cpremeditated savagery that turned a rural bar into a slaughterhouse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Night of Terror<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to prosecutors, the pair ambushed Ncube at Folomani Bar in Masa Business Centre on June 26, 2018. Nyoni, armed with an axe, allegedly confronted Ncube over an unresolved dispute before patrons disarmed him. Undeterred, the duo dragged Ncube outside, forced him into a donkey-drawn cart, and transported him to an isolated area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFor five hours, they subjected him to unimaginable torture\u2014beating him with logs, sticks, a knobkerrie, and a rubber whip,\u201d said National Prosecuting Authority (NPAZ) spokesperson Jacquiline Sandi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cVillagers heard his screams but feared intervening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By dawn, Ncube was found naked, swollen, and barely alive. He died en route to Gweru Provincial Hospital from severe internal injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Community Shock and Swift Arrests<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The murder sent shockwaves through Masa, with locals describing Ncube as a \u201cpillar of the community.\u201d Police, aided by neighborhood watch groups, arrested Khoza and Nyoni within hours as they attempted to flee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis was not just a murder; it was a grotesque spectacle of vengeance,\u201d said Detective Inspector Tawanda Marufu, who led the investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe donkey cart, a symbol of rural life, became their tool of terror.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Justice After Seven Years<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Delivering the sentence, Justice Muchawa condemned the \u201cbarbaric disregard for human life,\u201d noting the calculated use of isolation to prolong Ncube\u2019s suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou turned the cover of night into a weapon. Society demands retribution,\u201d she declared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 27-year terms drew mixed reactions. Ncube\u2019s widow, Linda, told reporters:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo sentence will bring him back, but at least our children know his killers won\u2019t walk free.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Legacy of Vigilante Violence<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The case has reignited debates over rural dispute resolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis tragedy shows how unchecked grudges fester into violence,\u201d said Midlands Community Watch coordinator Samuel Dube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe need better conflict mediation systems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prosecutors hope the ruling deters vigilante acts. As Sandi stated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe law will hunt you down\u2014whether you flee in a Ferrari or a donkey cart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zim GBC News\u00a92025<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Crimes and CourtsGWERU \u2013 Two men who abducted and bludgeoned a prominent Lower Gweru businessman to death using a donkey cart as their escape vehicle were sentenced to 27 years… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[125],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-crime-and-court"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7073"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7073\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7074,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7073\/revisions\/7074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}