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Bulawayo Bureau
A Matobo vegetable vendor allegedly fatally attacked his friend and business partner with a stone following an argument on the language used by characters in a movie they were watching. Prosper Ncube (22) and Collen Ndlovu had an argument on whether the characters in the movie were speaking in Xhosa or Zulu while watching a movie together in Bulawayo.

Tempers flared and degenerated into a fist-fight.

Prosper allegedly picked up a stone and struck Ndlovu once on the head.

Ndlovu died on the spot.

Prosper appeared yesterday before Bulawayo magistrate, Charity Maphosa, facing murder charges.

He was asked not to plead and remanded in custody to August 20.

The magistrate advised Prosper to apply to the High Court for bail.

Appearing for the State, Dumisani Ndlovu told the court that Ncube and Ndlovu were friends who ran a business of selling vegetables from Matobo using a donkey drawn scorch cart.

“On August 3, at a company in Donnington in Bulawayo at 8 pm, the two men were watching a movie in the company of Elias Ntini, the owner of the company.

“The two then had a disagreement over the language which was being spoken by characters in the movies they were watching.

“The two left the premises and went outside to their cart still arguing about the language the characters were using. The argument degenerated into a fist-fight ,” said Ndlovu.

Ndlovu told the court that a certain man went back into the premises and notified Ntini that the two were fighting.

“As Ntini was coming out he observed Prosper pick up two stones. Prosper then struck Ndlovu once on the left side of the head, above the left ear and he fell down. Ntini and the man tried rendering First Aid to Ndlovu but noticed that he was already dead,” said Ndlovu.

The court also heard that Prosper immediately fled the scene.

“Ndlovu’s body was taken to United Bulawayo Hospitals for a post-mortem.”