Wanderer Mine Murder: One of Three Accused Convicted

Gweru -The High Court Zimbabwe has convicted one of three young artisanal miners accused of killing a 37-year-old man who was chased, stabbed and thrown into a disused mine shaft following a dispute over noise at a tuckshop in Shurugwi.

Handing down judgment recently in Gweru, High Court judge Justice Bongani Ndlovu found Blessing Ncube (23) from Bharangwe Village under Chief Malisa in Silobela, guilty of murder and sentenced him to an effective 20-year prison term.

Justice Ndlovu ruled that he inflicted the fatal injuries on the deceased and later pushed him into a 70-metre-deep disused mine shaft at Wanderer Mine.

The first accused of the three, Thabani Hlongwani (20) from Madzanhire Village under Chief Jiri in Gokwe South, was acquitted of murder but convicted of assault.

He was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, with one year suspended on condition that he does not, within five years, commit a similar offence.

The third accused, Courage Brighton Sibanda (18), from Maphalala Village under Chief Malisa in Nkayi was acquitted of all charges.

The three accused and the deceased were not related.

The court heard that the fatal incident occurred on 20 June 2025 at around 9 PM at Vital Milling Bases, Wanderer Mine, Shurugwi where the deceased, Luke Magura from Mazambara Village u der Chief Nyashanu in Buhera, was seated in a shed at Violet Makore’s tuckshop, warming himself by a fireplace when the three accused arrived drinking beer, shouting and making noise.

The accused began opening cooking pots while demanding sadza. When Magura rebuked them, the situation escalated.

The court heard that the accused poked Magura in the face, after which Hlongwani slapped him several times.

The other accused joined in, assaulting the deceased with open hands and fists.

Magura fled the tuckshop but was chased for about 80 metres, caught, stabbed and later thrown into a disused mine shaft, where his body was discovered the following morning.

A post-mortem conducted at United Bulawayo Hospitals concluded that Magura died from traumatic shock, fall into a pit and assault.

Justice Ndlovu ruled that Ncube led the fatal assault, used a dangerous military-grade knife and displayed extreme violence warranting a murder conviction.

The judge rejected arguments that the deceased may already have been dead when he was pushed into the shaft.

“Whether the deceased was alive or not does not matter,” Justice Ndlovu said, adding, “If he was alive, there was a duty to seek help. If he was dead, there was a duty to respect the dead.”

He described the act of throwing the victim into the shaft as evidence of the offender’s state of mind.

“The act of kicking the deceased into a disused mine shaft betrays anger, brutality and a complete disregard for human life,” the judge said.

The court found that while Hlongwani participated in the unlawful assault, he did not inflict the fatal injuries.

“Whatever assault was visited upon the deceased in the kitchen was unlawful.

“However, the evidence does not place accused number one at the centre of the fatal act," Justice Ndlovu said.

Sibanda was acquitted after the court found insufficient evidence linking him to the murder.

In his submission on aggravation, Prosecutor Thompson Hove described the attack as brutal.

“The attack on the deceased was brutal, vicious and unprovoked, Your Lordship. He was treated in an inhuman and degrading manner.

"A life is lost and cannot be reversed. This was a genuine violation of the sanctity of life,” Hove said.

“Although the accused is youthful, he started at the deep end. I pray that he be wiped off from society. Thirty years will meet the justice of this case," he said.

In strong sentencing remarks, Justice Ndlovu dismissed calls for leniency based solely on youthfulness.

“Youthfulness on its own is not a shield,” he said. “Mercy must be earned. Mercy should not be channelled to offenders who display extreme violence and a complete disregard for human life.”