Man allegedly axes wife to death in domestic row

A Bulawayo man allegedly killed his wife with an axe on Thursday night before turning on his three children during a violent domestic attack.

Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Nomalanga Msebele said the incident followed a domestic dispute.

She said Ackim Bongani Dube (43), of Nkulumane 5, was arrested on charges of murdering his wife, Memory Makathini, after a co-tenant alerted police.

According to police, the couple’s two eldest children, aged 15 and 12, were asleep when they heard their father shouting from the bedroom while holding their one-year-old sibling.

“The accused person then ordered his two sons to come into the bedroom, where they found their mother lying dead with an axe lodged in her head,” said Insp Msebele.

She alleged that Dube then assaulted the children and forced the eldest son to smash the front door’s windows and screen with a brick while threatening them with an iron bar.

“The accused then went to the co-tenant’s door and allegedly tried to force his way into the room, prompting the co-tenant to call the police. Officers responded swiftly and arrested the accused,” she said.

Inspector Msebele said the three children sustained various injuries during the attack and were taken to hospital for treatment.