There was drama mixed in horror, an incident that left Tsholotsho residents in a flood of tears, when a brother and sister allegedly beat their father and set him on fire in a brutal movie style murder.
Onesimo Khumalo,19 and his sister Bethester 20 appeared before Tsholotsho magistrate Abednigo Ndebele for the brutal and horrifying killing of their father Kwabokwashe Khumalo.
The two are facing murder charges and were remanded in custody to January 12. They were also advised to apply to the High Court for bail.
For the State, Sikhumbuzo Sibanda said the siblings murdered their father on November 27 for unknown reasons.
“On that day, Onesmo and Bethester allegedly entered their father’s bedroom. Onesmo assaulted his father twice with a knobkerrie before dousing him with five litres of petrol. Bethester then set him and his bedroom ablaze,then the the two left their father to burn beyond recognition.” Sibanda said.
There was also another incident that happened on Boxing Day whereby a 16-year-old Tsholotsho boy was murdered in a suspected love wrangle.
Mncedisi Malaba was stabbed to death by Geofrey Ndlovu of Dombo area who is still on the run.
Police in Matabeleland North Province recently expressed concern over the escalation of violent crimes in Tsholotsho adding that rape of minors now tops the national satistics in the district.
Some time in September, High Court Judge Andrew Mutema sitting in Hwange on circuit, sentenced Makhula Ncube, Atlas Moyo and Liketso Moyo all from the Gotshani area in Tsholotsho to an effective eight years in prison for killing Shepherd Ndebele for not having a national identity card.
In his ruling, the judge lamented the fact that most of the murders in Matabeleland North were committed over trivial issues.