A Bulawayo woman has gone into hiding after three suspects accused of killing her best friend with a machete were released from police custody, leaving her as the sole witness to the brutal attack.
Patience Nkala, a wife and mother of four, watched helplessly as her friend Thulisile Moyo was struck three times on the neck with a machete on the night of March 28.
The two women were returning home from a late shift at a city centre salon when three men accosted them near an ATM in the city centre.
"The attackers demanded money," a source close to the matter said.
When Moyo refused to hand over her month-end earnings, the situation turned deadly.
"She wouldn't give in. She fell, bleeding helplessly, and I had to run for my life. That was the last time I saw her alive," the source added.
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The assailants vanished into the darkness, but sources say they are well-known criminals in the area.
Days after Moyo's burial, Nkala began suffering from severe nightmares, reliving the attack in vivid detail, a relative told this publication.
"The nightmares were very bad. She began to fear the killers would return to silence the only witness," the relative said, adding that Nkala and her four children barely left their home.
Police arrested three suspects, but they were later released due to insufficient evidence.
"The police arrested the three men, but because of a lack of tangible evidence—since Nkala, being the key witness, could not be located—the suspects were released. They are now baying for her blood to destroy the evidence," the source said.
Following her report to the police, a relative said the situation worsened. The suspects, aware she had identified them, began following her.
"She began to fear for her life. As a result, she fled into hiding, and we do not know where she is, but we hope she is safe. We are also living in fear," said a family member who requested anonymity.
Nkala reported the harassment to police, but a relative said investigations did not ease her plight.
Efforts to reach Bulawayo Police Spokesperson Inspector Nomalanga Msebele for comment were unsuccessful by the time of going to press.
The case was registered under Crime Reference Number 121/03/26.
However, police sources told this publication that they are actively searching for Nkala as she remains a crucial witness in the murder case.
"The murder suspects appeared in court, but prosecutors could not proceed as the key witness, Nkala, could not be located, and the suspects were released. Prosecutors will issue a subpoena for Nkala," said a detective who declined to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media.