Walter Mswazie Masvingo Correspondent
A FARM manager in Triangle was found dead with a deep cut on his neck, a day after paying his workers their wages.
Police suspect the killer(s) robbed the farmer of an undisclosed amount of money after ransacking the house.
A maid, Chemedzai Mudzviro, 34, who was reporting for work, found Adolph Willem Botha, 69, of Mpapa Farm in Triangle, dead in a pool of blood at his farm house on Saturday at around 6AM.
Masvingo police spokesperson Charity Mazula yesterday said the body was taken to Collin Saunders Hospital mortuary for post-mortem.
She said no arrests had been made.
“I can confirm receiving a report of suspected murder of a farm manager in Triangle. The incident was discovered by his maid when she reported for duty early in the morning. Botha is said to have brought $6,500 to the farm to pay employees their wages,’’ said Insp Mazula.
A source from Triangle narrated how the maid made the gruesome discovery.
“The maid rang the bell at the gate but her employer didn’t respond. She decided to wait for her supervisor, Joram Muvazhi, 40, who has the keys to the farm homestead gate,’’ said the source.
At around 6AM, the source said, Muvazhi arrived and opened the gate.
At the veranda to the kitchen door, they discovered some blood and Muvazhi rushed to Mpapa Police Base to make a report.
When police attended the scene, the source said, they observed a pool of blood at the veranda, some 30 metres from the main gate with indications that someone could have tried to wipe the floor.
“There were also splashes of blood on the wall and the screen door with a garden chair next to the kitchen door to the right hand side. The kitchen door was closed but not locked,’’ he added.
Botha’s bloodied lifeless body was found lying face down, the source said.
“Two blankets and two sheets all soaked in blood were next to the deceased. Blood-stained bare foot prints were also observed on the floor and on the door mat. Botha had a deep cut on his neck and a blood stained machete and more blood stains were spotted.”
The source said the bare feet imprinted more blood on the living room carpet where Botha’s open wallet was on a couch and his cell phone was on the side table.
“In the bedroom the drawers were open and there were some clothes on the bed. There were some empty wages’ envelopes on the table in the bedroom together with keys to the house and workshop.”
The source said a bag believed to have been containing the wages was found in the garage together with an envelope labelled ‘petty cash’ that contained $1,500.