The time I talked to someone who turned out to be a serial killer (True Story)
I'm based in Bulawayo. That's where I met him.
The first time we spoke, I was chilling with my friend at the ghetto, sitting on a bridge. It was just a normal day, nothing unusual. Then this kid approached us who introduced himself as Thando.
He looked rough. Barefoot. Dirty clothes. And there was a smell; the kind that tells you life hasn’t been easy for him.
Then he asked us something strange:
"Ngicela ukubuza, nxa ngifuna ukukhuluma lo Roman Reigns ngiyenza njani?"
(Translation: "If I want to talk to someone like Roman Reigns, how do I do it?")
At first, I thought he was just a kid obsessed with wrestling. So I told him the usual; try social media, maybe contact managers, things like that. He got excited and started talking about how much he loved Roman Reigns and how he wanted to actually be friends with him.
But as the conversation went on, something felt off.
He wasn’t joking. He genuinely believed he could become friends with Roman Reigns. That’s when we started realizing something wasn’t right mentally.
One thing that stood out though, when he spoke English, it was perfect. Surprisingly perfect. It didn’t match his appearance or situation at all.
After that day, I’d see him around sometimes. He’d randomly come up and ask deep, unsettling questions.
Questions like:
"Why are people so cruel?"
People in the neighbourhood especially the 2Ks used to mock him, call him crazy, laugh at him. But he never seemed bothered. He just stayed calm.
The last time I spoke to him, he came up to me again. I was irritated that day and told him to leave me alone. He didn't want to, I even threatened him.
What stuck with me was his reaction.
Nothing.
No fear, no confussion, No anger. Just that same calm expression.
Eventually, I ended up leaving myself. That was the last time I saw him.
Months later or so, then the news broke.
A serial killer.
Everyone was talking about it. But I didn’t connect the dots at first. Not until I saw a video clip… and heard the name he had once told me.
Thando.
That’s when it hit me.
The kid I had been talking to, is Thandolwenkosi Ndlovu. The kid who murdered 5 homeless people.
Still gives me chills thinking about it.
Has anyone else ever had an encounter like this without realizing it at the time?