ZIMBABWE – A Philippi man allegedly killed his wife and cut off her hand using a panga on Monday morning, 25 April.

Lusanda Jiyose (21) was murdered allegedly by her husband, who is a pastor at New Zion Spiritual church in Browns Farm in Philippi.

The incident that has left residents shocked happened in Tony Yengeni Street.

Mastandi Thumeka Molosi said the couple moved to stay at her house two weeks ago and she was told they lived in Ramaphosa squatter camp before.

After the killing, the husband allegedly went to work in Bellville, where he works as a security guard. He later called a church elder and confessed. The elder picked him up and took him to the cop shop where he handed himself over.

Thumeka said she was shocked to see cops and a morgue van parked outside her house on Monday at about 1pm. One of her neighbours then knocked and told her to come out, and told her someone had been killed.

“I asked her where the incident happened and she said in the back rooms in my yard. I was shocked because I didn’t think that something had happened on my property,” she said.

Thumeka said she last saw the couple on Sunday as they were walking together to the mall. She said they looked happy together. However, she said the couple had a fight on Saturday.

“The man came into my house and told me that he didn’t like what he saw in his wife’s phone. So, he took the phone and tossed it into a bucket of water. The next day, they looked like they had resolved their issues,” she said.

A neighbour, who used to go to the same church where the man is a pastor, said she heard the woman screaming at about 4am on Monday.

“I heard a woman scream but the screaming died down and I just ignored it. I’m shocked to hear this because this man was my pastor before I moved to another church,” said the neighbour.

Thumeka said one of the tenants told her the couple fought.

“He said he then went and knocked on the door and asked if everything was fine then the fight died down and he went back to sleep,” said Thumeka.

The deceased’s brother, Sinovuyo Ngobo (35), said when cops showed him his sister’s body, she was wearing pyjamas and on a bloodied couch.

“They had separated before but they decided to get back together and fix their relationship. I’m shocked that it ended like this. My sister’s body was cut and bloodied. We are also told that she was pregnant,” he said.

He also confirmed that Lusanda’s husband is a pastor.

Thumeka said she didn’t want to have young couples as her tenants but she allowed them to stay because the husband was a pastor.

“Now the pastor has just killed someone in my property. I don’t know how I will cleanse it because people will say my house is haunted because of this incident,” she said.

Police spokesman Sergeant Wesley Twigg said: “According to reports, Nyanga police were called to the crime scene where they found the victim with stab wounds to the neck, body and right hand. The victim was declared deceased on the scene by paramedics. A murder case was registered for investigation. A 28-year-old male was arrested in connection with the murder and will appear in court once he has been charged.”
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