The Sunday News
Tatenda Gapare Sunday News Reporter
A man suspected to be mentally challenged from Inyathi recently went berserk and axed his mother and grandmother to death for allegedly discouraging him from eating his breakfast without washing his hands. Artwell Tshuma (27), from Masimini Village was arrested after he was found with an axe and a hoe which he used to kill his mother and grandmother. The now deceased are his mother Thoko Tshuma and grandmother Rozina Dhliwayo.
After he axed the two, Tshuma further attacked the deceased’s bodies with the hoe.
Tshuma’s aunt witnessed the incident and called villagers who then apprehended Tshuma before handing him over to the police. Before committing the crime, Tshuma is suspected to have escaped from Ingutsheni Central Hospital after defaulting on his medication.
Tshuma appeared before the Inyathi magistrate Mr Stephen Ndlovu recently. It is alleged that while appearing at the magistrates court, Tshuma spoke in incoherent English and no-one understood what he was trying to say, hence the magistrate ordered him to be examined by medical experts.
“Tshuma is supposed to be examined by two different medical doctors to prove his sanity and he was remanded in custody to 28 December,” said Mr Ndlovu.
Prosecuting, Mr Zivanai Hlomayi said on 16 December in the morning Thoko was in a kitchen hut together with Dhliwayo who then called Tshuma to come and have breakfast.
“Tshuma was served food by his mother who was in the kitchen hut with his grandmother. He then ate the food without washing his hands. His grandmother then asked him why he was eating food without washing his hands and he ignored her and continued eating.
“Dhliwayo did not keep quiet about the issue and she continued advising Tshuma to go and wash his hands outside,” he said.
It is alleged that this then angered Tshuma who quickly went outside and came back carrying an axe and a hoe.
The court heard that Tshuma then struck his grandmother once on the head using the axe and she fell down and died on the spot.
“When Thoko tried to restrain Tshuma from assaulting his grandmother, he turned and axed his mother on the head once with the axe and she also died on spot. He then further assaulted the two deceased bodies with a hoe,” said Mr Hlomayi.
When the police arrived at the scene, they found Tshuma tied with ropes in a pool of blood from the deceased bodies.
The axe he used to commit murder was also recovered. When asked by the police as to why he committed murder, Tshuma claimed that his grandmother and mother were witches who did not want to see anyone succeeding in the village.
