CommuTalk Reporter
KWEKWE – A Gokwe man was assaulted to death over a missing Bluetooth speaker at a mining compound in Kwekwe.
The death of Penias Mhizha (30) of Sayi in Gokwe cast a dark shadow on the Midlands Province as deaths as a result of trivial matters continue rising.
Midlands last year recorded the highest number of murder cases in the country accounting for 379 out of 1 383 that were handled by the High Court.
Matabeleland South was a distant second with 223 cases, while the least was Matabeleland North with 23.
In the latest case, Mhizha was murdered early this week at Alarm 2 Mine Compound in the mining town.
Police said Mhizha visited his sister Nerisa Dube (39) who resides at the compound.
He later went to a nearby tuckshop at 7pm for a beer drink and came back towards midnight and retired to bed.
The alleged murderers Moffat Ncube (46), Justice Mukosi (36) and Tawanda Achiona (31) all of the same compound arrived at the house at around 2am, demanding their stolen Bluetooth speaker from Mhizha.
Midlands police spokesperson Inspector Emmanuel Mahoko said the trio forcibly entered the house and found him sleeping in one of the rooms.
Mahoko said the three started assaulting Mhizha demanding their speaker back.
“They dragged him out of the house and force-marched him into the darkness where they mercilessly assaulted him,” the police spokesperson said.
The trio dumped Mhizha at the tuck shop and went on to demand a solar panel from their victim’s sister as compensation after failing to recover the speaker.
The sister rushed to the tuck shop, where she found her brother severely injured with blood oozing from the mouth and ears.
Mahoko said the sister took him home where he died before she could take him to the hospital.
ZRP Kwekwe Central attended to the crime and preliminary investigations led to the arrest of the three suspects, who are expected to appear in court soon.
Meanwhile, police in the same town are investigating an attempted murder case where a 36-year-old artisanal miner was stabbed several times with a spear on 11 June at Waterscot 10 Mine.
Police said the man, Mduduzi Ngwenya of Torwood and his colleagues had a heated argument over territory which degenerated into a fight with a rival gang at Plot 79 Maywood.
Ngwenya and his colleagues were overwhelmed and escaped.
On 11 June 2024, at about 2pm, the two groups met at Waterscot 10 mine and the fight resumed.
Sensing danger Mduduzi’s colleagues ran away leaving him at the mercy of the rival group.
The rival gang took turns to stab Mduduzi with a spear all over the body until he fell unconscious before they disappeared from the scene.
Mahoko called on the public to solve disputes amicably as use of violence constitutes an offence.
