IN less than a week, Bulawayo has been rocked by four violent deaths, three which were caused by domestic disputes.
Of all the deaths, it was Nomqhele Nkiwane’s demise at the hands of her estranged husband Gellot Ncube that sent chills down people’s spines. Nkiwane was last week stabbed by Ncube nine times in the face, neck and chest after she had quit their marriage.
Relatives say the Bulawayo City Council employee had discovered that her husband was cheating on her and had left their matrimonial home.
Ncube, who hanged himself after committing the heinous crime, had reportedly intended to kill their child as well.
The following day, a man from Entumbane suburb was reportedly killed in cold blood by the estranged husband of his girlfriend.
On Friday night a taxi driver was allegedly robbed and shot dead by unknown assailants and his body was dumped in Bulawayo’s Famona suburb.
The reasons behind the spike in heartless murders might not be very obvious, but they indicate a very worrying trend.
The fact that most of these killings involve family members should jolt society to do some soul searching.
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Two of the murders involved allegations of infidelity, but that can never be an excuse to kill someone.
The bloodletting could be an indication of something going wrong with the family unit.
Infidelity is as old as the human race and over the years societies have learnt to deal with the problem without people killing each other.
The traditional family set-up had a very effective conflict resolution mechanism that couples facing problems could utilise.
Young couples need to respect those institutions when they encounter problems in their marriages.
Alternatively, there are modern institutions such as churches and the police that offer counselling services for people in conflict situations.
Violence only begets violence and suicide has never solved any problem.
In the wake of the killings, police should also be seen activating new strategies in countering the criminal elements in our midst.
