Online Reporter
Nyore Madzianike-Senior Reporter
Mlindeli Siziba has been jailed for 20 years after he was found guilty of stabbing to death his colleague and went on to dump the body on the river banks following a dispute over the selling of monkey meat to fellow artisanal miners.
High Court judge Justice Evangelista Kabasa acquitted Siziba’s co-accused, Mthulisi Moyo, after failing to link him to the offence.
The court heard that the incident occurred in the early hours of August 23, 2024, when Siziba, Moyo, and two accomplices, who remain at large, were involved in a scheme where they caught a monkey and went around trying to sell the meat to artisanal gold miners. But the quartet failed to find buyers.
It was then that the now deceased suggested that they give away the monkey. The suggestion annoyed the gang, which turned on the now deceased and started assaulting him.
The court heard that Siziba stabbed him on the back with a knife and fled from the scene.
He was arrested on August 30, 2024.
During the trial, Siziba explained that he had earlier had a misunderstanding with the now deceased, who had accused him of disrespecting him.
He told the court that when they sought to sell the monkey but failed to find a buyer who consumed monkey meat, the deceased suggested that they give it away, which annoyed one Boyz.
Siziba said Boyz was the one who started fighting with the deceased, ending with the deceased attacking him.
He claimed he stabbed the now deceased in self-defence. On his part, Moyo, who was acquitted, told the court that he was a bystander and never participated in the fight.
The court agreed with him.
“All the deceased had done was ask that you give away a monkey. He died because of such a flimsy reason,” said Justice Kabasa.
“The use of knives is becoming worrisome and gold panners appear to take knives as the weapon of choice.
“You left the deceased to bleed to death at a riverbank. You rendered no assistance and lied that he was alright, thereby stopping those who could have assisted him from doing so. You showed no contrition and tried to make yourself the victim.”
Peter Tanyanyiwa