TWO Zimbabwean businessmen based in South Africa, brothers originally from Bellevue suburb in Bulawayo, were allegedly savagely tortured before they were shot dead in Johannesburg and their bodies dumped in Mpumalanga province in the neighbouring country in a case of a suspected deal gone sour.

They reportedly ran a flourishing transport and freight company where they owned buses and trucks operating within South Africa.

The two brothers – Sydney and Edmore Ncube – reportedly went missing more than three weeks ago after being kidnapped by unknown assailants.

Mpumalanga provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Leonard Hlathi yesterday confirmed the incident, saying the two bodies were discovered in a decomposed state along the highway between Bronkhorstspruit and Delmas.

“I can confirm that there are two Zimbabweans who were found dead in an area between Bronkhorstspruit and Delmas. Their bodies had bruises, an indication that they could have been assaulted. Our investigations revealed that they were murdered in Johannesburg and the suspects then dumped their bodies in Mpumalanga,” he said.

Brig Hlathi could however, not reveal the circumstances surrounding the murder, saying their Gauteng counterparts were still investigating the case.State media