Umguza man who stopped intrusion at neighbor’s house axed to death

Residents from the leafy Lovendale suburb in Umguza were last Saturday left dumbfounded after a staffer with the Zimbabwe Power Company was ghastly axed to death by three men after he stopped one of them from intruding into a neighbor’s house, tentatively to see a girlfriend.
The trio of Ronald Masopo (22), Polite Khanye (24) and Talent Nkomo who all hail from the Lovendale area have since been arrested in connection with the murder of 42-year-old Thulani Ndlovu, who was employed by ZESA subsidiary, ZPC. The deceased was reportedly struck several times on the face, head and left shoulder with an axe.
The incident, according to witnesses, occured at around 7pm in the Lovendale area, located just after Bulawayo’s Nkulumane high density suburb.
“We have arrested three suspects in connection with with the murder of a 42-year-old man who was employed by ZESA. The suspects are assisting police with investigations”, confirmed Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Abednigo Ncube in an interview.
While the police was understandably stingy with details surrounding Ndlovu’s gory demise, residents say a neighbor’s child rushed to his house and alerted Ndlovu that there was a young man intruding into their home.
“We are told that the young man was there to see a girl, but we don’t know the status of their relationship”, said Gilbert Ndlovu, uncle to the deceased.
“He responded to the boy’s call and asked the young man to leave his neighbour’s home, but it seems the young man who later attacked him with an axe became aggressive and started fighting him. My nephew is said to have managed to push him away from the house as he (Masopo) was visibly drunk”, Ndlovu said.
However, Masopo allegedly went to the late Ndlovu’s house and started smashing his door, defiantly insisting that the fight was not yet over. Efforts to come to an understanding with the visibly drunk Masopo did not bear any fruits, as Masopo was not giving in. While the scuffle between the two ensued, Masopo’s other accomplices are said to have returned back with an axe, initially hidden under a t-shirt. Khanye and Nkomo are reported to have thrown the axe at Masopo who started to savagely attack Ndlovu with the help of the two.
Ndlovu was pronounced dead upon arrival at Nkulumane Police station where well-wishers had ferried him to, enroute to the hospital.