Two siblings from the Midlands province, who ganged up and murdered a taxi driver in Bulawayo and a shop owner in Inyathi in Matabeleland North before stealing their property worth more than US$6 000, were yesterday sentenced to death by hanging.
According to state papers, Freddy Dube (36) of Toro Village in Lower Gweru and Thinkwell Moyo (38) of Silobela fatally axed Dumenkosini Sibanda (26), a Bulawayo pirate taxi driver on April 16, 2018 and robbed him of his car, a Honda Fit.
They later travelled to Inyathi where they fatally stabbed Andile Ncube (21), a flea market trader and robbed him of his merchandise which they loaded into the stolen car.
Dube and Moyo, born of the same mother but different fathers, were convicted of two counts of murder with actual intent by Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Nokuthula Moyo.
Justice Moyo ruled that the murders were committed in aggravating circumstances.
“It is clear that the accused persons acted with an actual intent when they violently butchered the two deceased persons in order to dispossess them of their belongings. They killed two people over a short period of time and these murders were committed in aggravating circumstances warranting capital punishment,” said the judge.
“The courts have a duty to protect the sanctity of life through imposing harsh sentences to people like you. The two accused persons cannot escape capital punishment in the circumstances and accordingly, you are both sentenced to death by hanging,” ruled the judge.
