THE family of a murdered Bulawayo man held his burial service at their neighbour’s home in Pumula South suburb yesterday accusing them of fatally beating him.
Blessing Zikhali (30) died on Wednesday after he was
allegedly brutally assaulted at the neighbouring house where Khumbulani Sithole
also known as Sniper, an umalayitsha (cross-border transporter) brandished a
pistol to frighten people from rescuing his victim.
Zikhali’s family held the funeral service at Sithole’s
home, three houses away from theirs.
Bulawayo provincial spokesperson Inspector Abednico Ncube
said two people — Farai Fero and Fortune Ngwenya — have been arrested over the
murder. They allegedly fatally assaulted Zikhali whom they accused of stealing
clothes belonging to Sithole from their washing line. After allegedly beating
Zikhali, the two men escorted him to ZRP Pumula station where police called an
ambulance to take him to the hospital.
“Police in Bulawayo are investigating a case of murder
which occurred on Wednesday in Pumula South. The deceased is Blessing Zikhali
(40) from Tsholotsho district who was unemployed. Accused one is Farai Fero
aged 40, the second being Fortune Ngwenya aged 30,” said Insp Ncube.
“The now deceased was with his girlfriend at his place of
residence when the two came and asked him to go to Ngwenya’s place. When they
got there, the two men alleged that Zikhali had stolen clothes from the washing
line earlier that day and an argument arose.”
Insp Ncube said the two men assaulted Zikhali with fists
and a hose pipe all over the body and he sustained a cut above the left eye.
On March 31 at around 1AM, the two accused persons escorted
the now deceased to ZRP Pumula intending to file a report.
“While at the police station, the officers realised that
Zikhali was seriously injured and arrested the two men for assault. The police
also called an ambulance to take Zikhali to Mpilo Central Hospital where he
later died,” he added.
Insp Ncube urged members of the public not to take the law
into their hands.
Zikhali’s relatives said they took the funeral service to
Sithole’s home to show that the family is responsible for his death.
A Chronicle news crew yesterday attended the service but
members of the Sithole family were not home. Proceedings including body viewing
were held at the neighbour’s gate before the family proceeded to Athlone
Cemetery Extension for burial.
The Sithole family was not part of the burial and it is
said they bought a goat to be slaughtered for mourners, but the Zikhali family
would have none of it. The news crew found the goat tied at the locked gate.
Zikhali’s aunt Ms Lindiwe Ndlovu said he was killed like a snake and the
Sithole family should know that they are to blame.
“The reason we have taken Ble’s funeral wake to Sniper’s
home is that Sniper is responsible for his death. He killed him together with
his friends whom he bought alcohol so that they could join him in assaulting
our son. He accused Ble of stealing his Manchester United T-shirt claiming that
the T-shirt was expensive and it cost him R1 200. They claimed that Ble stole
the T-shirt because the shoe-print of the person who stole was similar to Ble’s
shoeprint,” said Ms Ndlovu.
“They fetched Ble from home at 8AM and started assaulting
him until it was 1PM. Even after they assaulted him, he maintained his
innocence, so they also came back at about 4PM and they assaulted him in front
of his father and neighbours as they watched helplessly as Sniper, a known
malayitsha, locked the gate to his home and drew a pistol making it impossible
for anyone to render any assistance. Sniper threatened to shoot anyone who
would enter his home as they assaulted him.”
She said they used a copper cable to assault him. “They
were assaulting him while tying him to a trailer of a car. They tied his body
on the trailer just as Jesus was nailed to the cross. After realising that they
had brutally assaulted him they then handed over his body to the police. That
is what led to the arrest of Sniper’s accomplices Fortunate Ngwenya and Farai
Fero and the two remain detained behind bars. So, a third culprit escaped
together with Sniper who we are told crossed the border to South Africa. But
fortunately, before his death Ble managed to tell police the people who were
assaulting him,” she said.
“The way he was brutalised is the reason why as a family we
had resolved that those responsible for his death, should take charge for his
burial that is why we have brought Ble’s body to Sniper’s home. We also gather
that he goes around bragging that killing is not new to him and he has two more
bodies underground that he killed while he was still staying in Emakhandeni. We
can’t have such a person as a neighbour. Right now, his family has deserted the
home, we wonder how they will return.”
Ms Ndlovu said they would demand compensation for the
death. “We want this to bother him because you can’t just spill blood and not
expect repercussions,” she said.
Zikhali’s uncle Mr Lot Zikhali said they want Sithole to be
arrested and taking the funeral service to his home was just a form of protest.
“This is befitting to take the funeral to their home
because they took our son when he was alive and returned him dead. I don’t
think it is possible for us to live together as neighbours again.
People say kuyaxoliswana, this will not bring our son back.
Even if we talk about some payments that some people may talk of as an
appeasement, it would seem as if we are selling our child. Even if he pays
whatever, it would not bring back our son because our child is gone forever.
We only demand that the law takes its course on Sniper. He
has put us on life sentence we have to live with as this situation will not
heal again. We call on the law to take its course,” said Mr Zikhali.
A neighbour Mrs Lynette Ndlovu said the community was
heartbroken following the brutal murder.
She said the incident has left residents confused as to how
they will live with the accused’s family. Chronicle
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