Two men convicted of murdering Harare cellphone dealer
The High Court of Zimbabwe has convicted two men for the 2020 murder of a cellphone dealer. The conviction was based on forensic evidence, including DNA analysis of blood-stained clothing and a weapon.
Why it matters
The case highlights the role of forensic science in solving criminal cases and ensuring judicial accountability in Zimbabwe.
TWO men accused of murdering Harare cellphone dealer Sipho Million Ncube have been convicted by the High Court and are now awaiting sentencing.
Elvin Saungweme Dongo and Dellon David Balani were convicted on Thursday by High Court judge Justice Malin Tommasi over the March 2020 murder, which the State alleges was part of a plot to rob and kill the cellphone dealer.
The two were accused of acting in cahoots with Munyaradzi Mawadze, whose trial was separated from theirs.
The case attracted attention in 2020 after Ncube disappeared, prompting searches by relatives and business associates before his body was eventually recovered.
The prosecution relied on circumstantial and forensic evidence linking the accused to the killing, including blood-stained clothing recovered from Dongo’s residence and a knife recovered from a bushy area in Waterfalls.
Forensic tests linked blood found on both items to Ncube’s DNA profile.
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