Online Reporter
Dalyn Chigwizura [email protected]
A 26-year-old Bulawayo man has been sentenced to four months in prison after violently assaulting his brother with a metal axe handle during a domestic dispute, leaving him injured and causing damage to property.
In addition to the jail term, he was fined US$100 and ordered to pay US$150 in restitution for malicious damage to property.
Trust Nkomo of Cowdray Park suburb was convicted of physical abuse and malicious damage to property by Western Commonage magistrate Mr Jeconia Prince Ncube.
For the physical abuse charge, he was initially sentenced to six months in prison, of which two months were suspended for three years on condition of good behaviour. The remaining four months are effective.
For the malicious damage to property charge, he was fined US$100, in default to serve 30 days in prison. A further two months’ imprisonment was suspended on condition that he restitutes the complainant US$150.
Prosecutor, Ms Cathrine Kuzu, told the court that on May 30, 2026 at around 4 PM, the accused person arrived home drunk and armed with a metal axe.
She said that the accused person started assaulting his cousin brother, Bukhosi Lusinga (26), with a metal axe handle all over the body.
After assaulting him the accused person took his brother’s various clothes, two plastic buckets and six 2-in-1 blankets and set them on fire.
The complainant sought medical attention and the value of the damaged property was US$150. Nothing was recovered, said Ms Kuzu. A police report was made leading to the arrest of the accused person, she added.
