A primary school teacher and his wife have each been sentenced to 15 years in prison after a 21-year-old woman was attacked, restrained and taken into bushland near Plumtree. The woman was reportedly in a relationship with the teacher, and his wife confronted her after finding her with him.
Sikhumbuzo Ncube, 45, who teaches at Matiwaza Primary School, and Priscilla Ncube, 42, were convicted of assault and aggravated indecent assault. They appeared before Plumtree magistrate Dambudzo Malunga on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, for sentencing.
The attack took place on Wednesday, 28 October, at about 6 pm. The court heard that Priscilla came across the young woman in the company of her husband and confronted her. The woman tried to flee but fell while running. Sikhumbuzo caught hold of her.
The couple then restrained the woman by tying her hands and legs and took her to a nearby bush. The court heard that Priscilla used a kitchen knife to cut off the victim’s knotless braids. She stabbed the woman in the head and threatened to kill her.
The violence continued. Priscilla allegedly rubbed chillies into the woman’s right eye, then cut off her clothing and removed her bra and underwear. During the attack, Sikhumbuzo remained close by and used the light from his mobile phone while his wife carried out the assault.
A second count described a further assault. The court heard that Priscilla threatened the woman with a knife before inserting chillies into her private parts. The victim’s identity has not been made public.
The account of the second count said Priscilla ordered the woman to open her legs and threatened to stab her. She then forced her fingers inside the woman, pushing the chillies further in. The charge was dealt with separately from the assault count, though both prison terms were included in the concurrent sentence.
The woman later reported the incident to Plumtree Police. She was taken to Plumtree District Hospital for medical treatment, and the couple were arrested. The case resulted in convictions for assault and aggravated indecent assault.
For the assault charge, each received a one-year prison term. For aggravated indecent assault, each was sentenced to 15 years. The magistrate ordered the terms to run concurrently, so the total effective sentence for each is 15 years in prison.
The case began with an encounter involving a married couple and a woman linked to the husband. It ended with the couple convicted of two offences and facing a lengthy prison term. The court account set out how the confrontation moved from a meeting in public to a violent attack in a nearby bush.
Other Zimbabwean cases in 2025 also involved assaults arising from disputes over romantic relationships. In Bulawayo, Thobekile Ngwenya appeared in court facing an assault charge after an incident involving her boyfriend’s former girlfriend, Thandolwenkosi Ncube.
The dispute reportedly centred on a jacket. Ncube had approached her former boyfriend to ask for it back. Ngwenya was accused of pouring an unknown liquid on her, pushing her down, kicking her and stomping on her leg. Ncube reported the matter to police, and Ngwenya was arrested. The incident was said to have happened in Pumula East on 22 February 2025.
At the time, the court heard different accounts of how the argument began. Ncube said her former boyfriend had not responded when she asked for the jacket, and that Ngwenya later approached her at the shops with a bottle. Ngwenya pleaded not guilty and said she had been confronted over wearing the jacket and insulted. Ncube described being pushed down and kicked during the incident.
In another case, a 40-year-old man was seriously injured in a machete attack at Douglas Farm compound in Chipinge on 25 January 2025. The attack was linked to an accusation that he was having an affair with the girlfriend of one of the men accused of assaulting him.
Takura Chinoda, 45, and Felix Ngayi Mutisi, 42, were accused of striking Edmore Nyabanga with a machete. Nyabanga was hit on the forehead and back, sustaining several deep cuts. The attack stopped after he managed to regain control of the weapon, and the two men fled. Mutisi was arrested, while Nyabanga was taken to Chipinge District Hospital for treatment. Both men faced assault charges.
The account of that case placed the attack at about 8 pm. Chinoda and Mutisi went to Nyabanga’s home armed with the machete. Mutisi took the weapon from Chinoda and struck Nyabanga again, causing him to fall. Nyabanga managed to regain control of it, and the men left. His wife returned to find him badly hurt and alerted a neighbour. They reported the assault to police, who attended the scene and recovered the machete.
The Bulawayo and Chipinge incidents involved different circumstances and injuries, but each centred on a dispute tied to a romantic relationship and resulted in police or court action. In Plumtree, the court heard how the young woman was attacked by a married couple, with the teacher helping to restrain her and provide light during the assault. The sentences imposed mean both Ncube and his wife will serve an effective 15 years in prison.
