Lupane Man Strikes Stepmother, Sets Her on Fire

 

A 22-year-old man from Lupane has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for the brutal murder of his 72-year-old stepmother, Christine Ncube.

Sibongiseni Mpofu (22) was convicted of murder by the High Court Circuit sitting in Hwange. On May 17, 2025, Mpofu struck Ncube on the head with an axe before setting her on fire inside her kitchen hut in Lupane.

According to court proceedings, Mpofu called his brother after the incident and confessed to the crime.

Witnesses found Ncube still alive but severely injured, with head wounds and burns. She succumbed to her injuries a month later.

Mpofu claimed the incident stemmed from a verbal altercation over delayed assistance with grinding grain. He argued that he had only pretended to strike her, causing her to fall into the fire accidentally.

However, the court rejected Mpofu’s account, found him guilty of murder, and sentenced him to 16 years imprisonment.