A 38-year-old man has been killed in Filabusi after being accused of taking part in a mob assault a week earlier, police say.
Likhwa Sibanda died on 16 February after he was allegedly attacked by two men, identified as Lungelo Mathuthu and Mlungisi Mathuthu, at Mbondweni Business Centre.
Police say the two suspects accused Sibanda of being among a group that had assaulted their cousin brother.
The men allegedly struck Sibanda several times with axes, leaving him with deep cuts and severe injuries.
The suspects reportedly fled the scene, leaving Sibanda lying in a pool of blood. An informant hired a vehicle to rush him to Filabusi District Hospital, but he died before receiving medical treatment.
His body has been taken to the mortuary, where a post-mortem examination is pending.
Matabeleland South police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Stanford Mguni confirmed the incident.
“Investigations are in progress, and police are appealing to anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of the suspects to report to their nearest police station,” he said.
In a separate incident, a 47-year-old man drowned in an abandoned mine shaft in Filabusi.
Nimrod Vusimuzi Sibanda’s clothes and a towel were found near an open-cast shaft at Maholokohlo Mine on 12 February.
Police say Sibanda, who worked at Busani Ndlovu’s hammer mill, had gone to the disused mine to bathe after finishing work.
A 21-year-old man, Kelvin Sibanda, who was swimming in the shaft, reported stepping on what appeared to be a human body and alerted others.
A search was launched, but Sibanda’s body was not immediately found. Sub-aqua divers were later called in, and the body was eventually retrieved on 14 February with the assistance of community members.
On 16 February, the body was taken to United Bulawayo Hospitals for a post-mortem examination. However, the cause of death could not be established because the body was in an advanced state of decomposition.
Assistant Inspector Mguni said police are investigating the matter and are appealing for information that could help locate the deceased’s relatives.
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