Man Strikes Workmate With An Axe For Refusing To Drink Beer He Had Offered Him

ZIMBABWE – An Artisanal  miner from Bulawayo allegedly struck his workmate with an axe on the head after the latter had refused to drink beer he had been offered on Tuesday last week.

The victim, Clifford Ncube sustained a deep cut on the head and was treated at Mpilo Central Hospital while the suspect Blessing Ndlovu was arrested four days after committing the offence.

The court heard that Ndlovu was drinking beer at Mkhayeni shops when Ncube passed by. Ndlovu asked the complainant to join him for a drink but Ncube refused.

This irked Ndlovu who started shouting at Ncube using obscene language.

Ncube went to another bottle store while Ndlovu pursued him and waited for him outside the verandah.

As he came out of the bar, Ndlovu struck Ncube once on the head with an axe according to reports.

After the attack, Ncube fell on the ground screaming for help as he bled profusely.

The accused fled from the scene leaving the complainant lying in a pool of blood.

Fellow miners who witnessed the heinous act, using the victim’s T-shirt, bandaged his head to stop the bleeding before making a police report.

Ndlovu was not asked to plead to one count of attempted murder when he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Rachel Mukanga on Monday.

Magistrate Mukanga remanded Ndlovu in custody to June 6.