BULAWAYO – A man who stabbed his father and mother to death said “it felt right” as he was confronted by neighbours before evading capture.
Clever Ngwenya, 35, is being sought by police in Lupane, Matabeleland North, for the double killing on Thursday last week.
In a statement, police spokesman Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said: “Police in Lupane are appealing for information which may lead to the arrest of Clever Ngwenya who is being sought for callously killing his parents, Mildress Ngwenya, 71, and Simon Shoemaker Ngwenya, 73, for an unknown reason while attending a family gathering at Gwalubha Village under Chief Mabhikwa on September 21.
“The suspect stabbed both parents on the throat with a knife.”
Clever also chased after his two siblings – brother Khululani Ngwenya and sister Fidelis Ngwenya – who ran to a neighbour’s home.
When neighbours formed a search party to locate and capture him, they found him at Khululani’s home not far from his parents’ home.
His elder brother John Ngwenya, who had joined the search, said he asked him – from a distance – why he had killed their parents.
“He only had one answer for me. He said ‘it felt right’,” John told The Chronicle.
Clever charged at the villagers who were attempting to capture him while still brandishing the bloodied knife. The mission failed as they scattered in terror.
Fidelis, who lived with her parents, said she had just arrived from Lupane business centre when Clever arrived. Khululani later joined them and they had lunch served by their mother.
Khululani, according to Fidelis, had been summoned by Clever who said he had an issue to discuss with his family. When they gathered to hear what he had to tell them, Clever told them “it wasn’t necessary anymore to discuss the issue.”
“My mother insisted, however, saying since he was home it was best that it was discussed. In a split second, Clever produced a knife and plunged it in my mother’s neck and she fell to the ground. He then went after my father whom he also stabbed but before my father died, he shouted at me to run for my dear life,” Fidelis said.
“In his words, my father said ‘don’t look back, he has killed me, just run for your life. He is determined to kill. Seek refuge from our neighbours’.”
Fidelis said Clever pursued her for some 100 meters. At the first home she arrived at, the terrified neighbour advised her to keep running and not enter the yard, she said.
“I ran to another neighbour’s home but this time around I didn’t ask for help. I just ran inside and hid under a bed. I was talking to them while I was under the bed.”
Khululani said he has never seen his younger brother in that state.
“He was carrying this big knife called Colombian. It’s a deadly weapon. When he produced it, within a minute he had killed our parents. I had no weapons, so I knew it would be futile for me to try and fight him so I ran to ask for help,” said Khululani.
“His face had turned into something that I had never seen.”
Khululani and Fidelis sought refuge at the Lupane Police Station where they have been staying, fearing Clever will ambush them at night.
The two siblings say Clever previously lived in Botswana and if ever he left the country, that is where he would be headed. – ZimLive
