Domestic worker faces attempted murder charge

A 23-YEAR-OLD domestic worker from Mpanedziba Village in Tsholotsho District, appeared in court yesterday facing an attempted murder charge for allegedly attacking a patron with a brick during an altercation.

Musali Mleya appeared before Bulawayo magistrate, Ms Sibongikosi Mnkandla, who remanded him in custody, pending judgment today.

The incident, which occurred on September 28 at Mpanedziba Business Centre, left the victim, Mr Vitalis Ncube, with severe head injuries.

Mleya admitted to striking Mr Ncube with a brick but denied intending to kill him. Prosecutor, Ms Nomthandazo Mafu, told the court that the altercation began at around 8pm when Mleya, accompanied by his friend Vuyo Ndlovu, arrived at the business centre visibly drunk, singing and yelling.

“As Mr Ncube was chatting with other patrons, Mleya mistakenly assumed he was being addressed and pushed Mr Ncube, who retaliated by pushing him back. A fistfight ensued but was broken up by other patrons,” said Ms Mafu.

The court heard that later, as Mr Ncube sat on the veranda, Mleya approached him from behind with a brick and struck him on the left side of the head and he collapsed.

Ms Mafu said the attack was deliberate and targeted a sensitive part of the body, making it a serious offence.
She further alleged that Mleya did not assist the victim after the attack, but instead fled the scene.

The prosecutor also noted that there was no prior animosity between Mleya and Mr Ncube, making the attack seemingly unprovoked.

Mr Ncube sustained serious injuries from the assault, and the court will determine whether Mleya’s actions amounted to attempted murder.