"Three men suddenly appeared from nowhere and they grabbed my private parts, threatening to slice them off. One of them produced a knife and said I must pray before he finished me off. I was confused, because I realized that death was a certainty at that time."

That is how Lawrence Makhale (26) of Makonde village explained how he narrowly escaped death after his former girlfriend allegedly set a trap for him.

Lawrence said that his former girlfriend, whose name is known to Mirror, phoned him on Monday and told him to come to Vondwe Village to collect the cellphone she had taken away from him while they were still lovers. "I did not understand why she said I had to come to Vondwe, because she also stays at Makonde. I went there happily, not knowing that she had organized these three men to kill me. I guess she was angry because I ended our relationship as I wanted to concentrate on my new family."

He says he boarded a taxi and alighted at Vondwe. "She persuaded me to come inside the public phone booth and I agreed, although I could smell danger at that moment. Suddenly, she started operating her mobile phone and I thought she was making an indication to the men that I was already there. The men suddenly appeared from nowhere and forcefully took me out of the cell phone booth. Their leader asked me with a hoarse voice: ‘He muthannga why ni tshi ri dzhiele khomba yashu? Namusi ro ni wana (Hey man, why are you taking our girlfriend? We will get rid of you today.’ At that time, my former girlfriend was just smiling as if there was nothing happening."

Lawrence further explains how tough the battle was: "They threatened to slice off my private parts and they started beating me all over my body. One of them also threatened to slice my throat, but I kicked his hand and the knife fell to the ground. They searched me and took my wallet, while at the same time tearing my ID book into pieces. They found that my wallet contained only R10 and they gave it back. My trousers were also badly damaged during the brawl. They continued beating me until community members came to my rescue."

Lawrence said he did not report the matter to the police because he fears that he would not get a chance to go to court due to the nature of his work. "I am working at a bakery and it will be difficult for me to get a chance to move up and down for a court hearing. The hooligans must just know that my living God will take care of them. To my former girlfriend, I wish she repents and accepts Jesus as her saviour."

And his warning to other men is: "Don’t just get a call from a woman and rush there. I have learnt that it is very easy to be killed and we must always be careful with our lives. I have really learned the hard way."

Efforts to reach Lawrence’s former girlfriend were fruitless as her phone was off.