A 26-YEAR-OLD man from Bulawayo was stoned and stabbed to death allegedly by a group of unknown assailants.
Edward Hlanganani from Old Magwegwe suburb was found by a passerby lying in a pool of blood on a tarred road about 200 metres from his home at about 6AM yesterday.
His family told The Chronicle that Hlanganani was brutally attacked on his way home from Marisha Bar in the same suburb on Wednesday night.
He had three deep gashes on the head suspected to have been caused by a sharp object. His face was heavily fractured while his teeth were loose.
There was a big stone stained with blood which was on the road, about four metres from the body.
When The Chronicle visited the murder scene yesterday, his body had already been ferried to a mortuary.
His wife, Ms Sithatshisiwe Lunga, said her husband left home at around 9PM on Wednesday to buy cigarettes from Marisha Bar.
“My husband left around 9PM to buy cigarettes and then he came back and said I should put his phone on the charger while he would be outside smoking.
“He left the house to go buy another packet of cigarettes saying the one he had was finished,” said Ms Lunga who appeared to be shocked.
“I did not think my husband could be the one found dead on the road when neighbours called me to the scene where my husband lay in a pool of blood. No one knows who attacked him”.
Mr Mehluli Mpofu (27), a neighbour, said before Hlanganani was murdered, they went to buy cigarettes at the bar and returned home together.
“I escorted Edward to buy his cigarettes before he was murdered. I never thought he would go back again alone to buy another packet of cigarettes. I wish I had escorted him again, maybe he was not going to be attacked by the gang,” said Mr Mpofu.
Hlanganani’s uncle, Mr Cardinal Dube, said their area was not safe at night and urged people to avoid being out during late hours.
“Our area is no longer safe. We also had a report of another man on the same night who was robbed of his money and cellphone by a gang of men,” he said.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Chief Inspector Precious Simango could not be reached for comment yesterday.