Father and sons sentenced to 25 years each for ‘cruel’ machete murder over grazing land

A Hwange father and his two sons have been sentenced to 25 years in prison each for the savage murder of a 24-year-old man in broad daylight following a dispute over grazing land.

The murder took place at Sawudweni business centre in Hwange on December 26 2024.

Justice Evangelista Kabasa, sitting in Hwange, found Silethemba Ndlovu (30), Below Ndlovu (22), and Melusi Ndlovu (52) guilty of murder following a “brutal, gang-style attack”.

The victim was attacked after a dispute over cattle grazing.

According to court records, the accused arrived at the business centre armed with machetes. Witnesses described the horrific scene.

“Accused 1 and 2 (Silethemba and Below) continued ‘chopping’ at the deceased, crushing his head in the process. I tried to stop them but was met with threats of assault,” said one witness.

The postmortem report confirmed the severity of the assault, citing “cranioencephalic structures destruction as a result of assault with a machete” and multiple incised wounds on the back.

The machetes used measured 32 and 50 centimetres.

The accused tried to claim that temporary insanity caused the fatal blow, alleging that Silethemba mistook the victim for a snake. The court rejected this defense, calling it a “figment of imagination” and noting there was no medical evidence to support it.

Kabasa described the attack as “cruel” and condemned the accused for showing no remorse.

“Life ought not to be lost under such cruel circumstances and at a public place, traumatising members of the public… You did not show contrition by assisting with funeral expenses and left the deceased lying there as if he was a wild animal.”

The court emphasised the aggravating factors: the young age of the victim, the use of lethal weapons, the public nature of the crime, and the gang involvement.

“The assault was deliberate and ruthless. The deceased stood no chance. You were out to kill, and you achieved that purpose,” the judge said.

Each of the accused, all first-time offenders, was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

The two machetes used in the killing were ordered destroyed.