A 38-year-old Bulawayo man allegedly murdered his girlfriend in cold blood at a bed and breakfast lodge in Bradfield, Bulawayo last week before committing suicide by crashing his vehicle into a bus along the Bulawayo-Gwanda Highway.
The Chronicle reported that on Saturday, Mandlenkosi Dube of Cowdray Park suburb allegedly strangled 29-year-old Precious Dube (pictured), from the Nketa suburb over an undisclosed dispute and money issues.
After committing the heinous crime, Dube allegedly attempted to flee to South Africa using his white Mercedes Benz but then decided to end his life along the way.
The alleged murder occurred around 5.30 PM before Dube crashed his vehicle onto an oncoming bus along Bulawayo-Gwanda Road near Kensington shops where seven passengers sustained minor injuries and were treated and discharged.
Dube reportedly suffered serious head injuries and died on the spot.
Police in Bulawayo said that soon after killing his girlfriend, Dube recorded and sent a WhatsApp message to his wife telling her of what he had done.
Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) spokesperson in Bulawayo Province Assistant Inspector Nomalanga Msebele said:
From our investigations, we discovered that a male juvenile who was present when the incident occurred overheard Dube shouting demanding his money from the now deceased.
She said the juvenile saw the now deceased running towards the cottage from the main house where she asked the children to call the police. Said Asst Insp Msebele:
An enraged Dube was in pursuit and shouting. The children then scurried for cover as they too feared for their lives. Some ran and hid in their bedrooms while the others shouted for help.
The children who were peeking from their bedroom saw Dube wrestling with Precious, whom he was strangling and telling to die. He then left the room after about 30 minutes.
The children then emerged from their hiding places, only to see Dube lying motionless on the floor.
Asst Insp Msebele said the children then ran to the shops and narrated the incident to a vendor who then called their guardian who was in town informing her about the incident at the house. She added:
She hired a taxi home and found her lying on the floor in her bedroom facing upwards… She was pronounced dead by a doctor at UBH (United Bulawayo Hospitals) and her body is at the mortuary awaiting postmortem.
A report was made at ZRP Khumalo on the same day before police removed the body from the house.
Asst Insp Msebele said police officers who attended the scene of the crime discovered blood stains on the floor at the main house. She said:
A shoe belonging to Dube was also found in the house. There were also blood stains on a blue decoration ball in the main house.
In the cottage, blood stains were found on the wall in the bedroom where she was murdered.
The deceased’s forehead had a minor cut and was swollen. She also had blood coming from her mouth.
Her lips and tongue were also swollen and had bruises on the neck from suspected strangulation and bruises on the right lower arm.
The murder appears to have been a “crime of passion”. Crimes of passion, include cases of severe violence or murder committed in the heat of passion or response to strong emotional feelings.
In Zimbabwe, such crimes often emanate from intense emotions, jealousy, infidelity, or relationship conflicts.
More: Pindula News