BULAWAYO – The stillness of the night in the high-density suburb of Nkulumane was shattered by a horrific act of domestic savagery that has left a family broken and a neighbourhood in deep mourning. In the early hours of 24 July, around 1:00 AM, what should have been a place of sanctuary became a scene of unimaginable carnage. Ackim Bongani Dube, a man now facing the full weight of a murder charge, allegedly turned a household tool into a weapon of death, burying an axe into the head of his wife, Memory Makathini.
The details emerging from the investigation paint a picture of a calculated and brutal assault. According to police reports and sources close to the family, Dube did not stop at the killing. In a move that defies human comprehension, he allegedly summoned his three children—aged 15, 12, and just one year old—to witness the gruesome remains of their mother. The children, who should have been protected by their father, were instead forced to confront the sight of the axe still embedded in their mother’s skull.
A Night of Terror
The sequence of events began with a heated argument. A co-tenant, residing in the same house, reported hearing loud shouting coming from the family’s room. The witness described a chilling scene where Dube was heard arguing with his children. During the commotion, the neighbour allegedly heard Dube repeatedly shouting a terrifying admission: he was “already done with their mother.”
The couple’s eldest son, a 15-year-old boy, had been asleep with his 12-year-old sibling when the nightmare began. He was awoken by his father’s voice, shouting from the parents’ bedroom. Dube was reportedly carrying his one-year-old son at the time. The sources say Dube ordered the two older boys to enter the bedroom. When they switched on the lights, they were met with the horrifying discovery of Memory Makathini lying lifeless on the floor.
Instead of allowing the children to seek help or comforting them in their terror, Dube allegedly turned his fury upon them. The terrified boys were assaulted by their father as he attempted to maintain control over the situation. In a desperate and clumsy bid to cover his tracks, Dube forced his eldest son outside. He ordered the teenager to use a brick to smash the house’s window panes and a security screen door. The intention was clear: Dube wanted to create the impression that a gang of robbers had broken into the home and committed the murder.
When the 15-year-old boy bravely refused to comply with the order to stage the scene, Dube reportedly threatened and assaulted him with an iron bar. The situation only ended when Dube attempted to force his way into the co-tenant’s room, prompting the frightened neighbour to contact the police.
The Aftermath and the Search for Justice
Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Nomalanga Msebele, confirmed the arrest of Dube. “Police had arrested Dube and he is facing a murder charge. Investigators are yet to reveal the motive for the killing,” she told B-Metro. The children, who sustained various injuries during the ordeal, were admitted to Mpilo Central Hospital for treatment and psychological support.
For the Makathini family, the pain is raw and overwhelming. A family member, speaking to B-Metro, expressed the collective agony of the relatives:
“We are a hurting family trying to come to terms with what has happened. As the Makathini family, we are holding family discussions to decide the way forward. At this difficult time, all we ask is for justice and peace of mind. We hope the law will take its course so that our family can begin to heal.”
The body of Memory Makathini has been taken for a post-mortem examination as the police continue their investigation into the motive behind this senseless act. Inspector Msebele has since urged families experiencing domestic disputes to seek professional help before conflicts escalate into such extreme violence, warning that perpetrators of gender-based violence will face the “full wrath of the law.”
A Pattern of Brutality: The Scourge of Spousal Homicide
The horror in Nkulumane is not an isolated incident. It reflects a worrying trend of extreme domestic violence that has plagued both Zimbabwe and the international community. Only weeks prior to the Nkulumane tragedy, another case involving a Zimbabwean national drew international attention.
Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, a 42-year-old man, became the subject of an international manhunt after the bodies of his wife, Nothabo Zandile Tshuma, and their two daughters, Nala (5) and Natalie (15), were discovered in their home near Bedford, England. Tshuma allegedly fled the United Kingdom for Zimbabwe immediately after the killings. He was eventually captured by South African police in Johannesburg on 11 July 2026. The brutality of the case, involving the slaughter of an entire family, mirrors the “family annihilation” seen in the Dube case, where the children were not just witnesses but victims of their father’s rage.
Similarly, in late July 2026, the United States was rocked by the case of Kristopher Karolkiewicz in Michigan. Authorities say Karolkiewicz killed his wife, Amanda, and their six children before setting their home on fire and taking his own life. These incidents of “family annihilation” highlight a terrifying psychological break where the perpetrator views their family not as individuals to be loved, but as extensions of themselves to be destroyed.
When the Roles are Reversed
While men are statistically more likely to be the perpetrators of lethal domestic violence, the phenomenon of women killing their husbands is a grim reality that also surfaces in the criminal annals of the region. In a case that has seen years of legal delays, a 42-year-old Zimbabwean woman was accused of the brutal murder of her husband in South Africa. The case, which dates back to a 2015 incident in the North West province, involved a confession from the woman who claimed she was “haunted” by the act.
More recently, reports from Bulawayo itself have highlighted cases where women have turned to extreme violence. A ZTN Prime report detailed an incident where a Bulawayo woman allegedly killed her husband and two children, showing that the capacity for such devastation is not confined to one gender. These cases often involve long-standing domestic disputes, mental health crises, or “crimes of passion” that spiral out of control.
The Societal Cost of Silence
The recurring nature of these bloodbaths raises urgent questions about the effectiveness of current support systems for victims of domestic abuse. In Zimbabwe, the economic climate and the resulting mental health strain have been cited by professionals as contributing factors to the rise in intimate partner violence.
Mental health experts suggest that the “axe murder” phenomenon—often seen in rural and high-density urban areas—is a manifestation of deep-seated rage and a lack of conflict resolution skills. When a tool of labour is turned into a tool of death, it signifies a total breakdown of the domestic order.
The Makathini family’s plea for “justice and peace of mind” is a sentiment echoed by thousands of families across the globe who have lost loved ones to the hands of those who were supposed to cherish them. As Ackim Bongani Dube awaits his day in court, the community is left to grapple with the trauma of a night where a father’s love was replaced by a cold, iron blade.
The scars on the young survivors at Mpilo Central Hospital may eventually heal, but the memory of that 1 AM wake-up call and the sight of the axe in their mother’s head will remain a haunting testament to the brutality that can hide behind closed doors. The law may take its course, but for the Makathini family, the road to healing has only just begun.