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AN artisanal miner from Gweru, Courage Hwami, will literally need all the courage he can get to live the rest of his miserable life behind bars for turning a night out at the Mkoba Shopping Centre into a gory horror show.
In the early hours of December 4, 2023, a night of revelry at Vhudzijena Night Club took a dark turn when the 35-year-old had an altercation with a fellow patron and incidental namesake, Courage Sibanda.
No one knows for sure what sparked this heated argument — perhaps they argued over who had the better name.
Whatever it was, it was enough to force Hwami to whip out an AK-47 Columbia knife.
In an inexplicable moment of foolishness, Hwami stabbed Sibanda in the chest and back.
Sibanda, bleeding profusely, managed to stagger outside before collapsing and succumbing to his injuries.
But Hwami was not finished yet.
He decided to turn his knife on the bar’s caretaker, Nomore Hove, who had earlier tried to stop the fight.
He chased him down outside the bar and stabbed him in the chest, before fleeing the scene and disappearing into the night.
But, as is often the case, the long arm of the law caught up with him.
Apparently, he still had the same AK-47 Columbia knife, which was a crucial piece of evidence.
When he appeared before High Court judge Justice Naison Chivayo, Hwami pleaded not guilty, saying, as an artisanal miner, he had to carry his weapon for “protection”.
The judge did not buy it.
He actually decided to lock him up and throw away the keys after slapping him with life imprisonment for the murder and an extra 10 years for attempted murder — both to run concurrently. This means he has all the time in the world to reflect on why using a knife to settle a bar brawl was probably the worst decision of his life.
Tinaye Agere
Online Reporter