adminFaith Mabuto Midlands Reporter
A GWERU councillor, on trial for assault charges after he allegedly attempted to strangle a council employee following a dispute over delayed salaries by the local authority has been remanded to May 13 for judgment.Ward 4 Councillor Kenneth Sithole of MDC-T appeared before Gweru magistrate Vimbai Makora yesterday for closing submissions. He is out of custody on free bail.
Sithole is denying the charge and has described the allegations as a mere fabrication by the complainant Simbarashe Leboho as there is bad blood between them.
“I still deny the charges on the basis that there’s bad blood between the complainant and I. He always insults me so I just wanted him to beat me up once and for all,” said Clr Sithole.
He told the court that Leboho was a close family associate who knew about his family challenges.
“He is a very close family associate and used that to his advantage and insulted me with all sorts of vulgar words. Leboho knew that I had no children with my wife and that we were adopting. He then shouted in public saying in Shona, ‘Ko ngomwa inodei pano iyi? (what does this sterile man want here)?’ before uttering vulgar words to me,” said Clr Sithole.
For the state Pearson Muringani told the court that on March 20 this year, Sithole and Leboho, who is in the workers’ committee, were attending a disciplinary hearing of an employee, Kudzai Ziurawa.
Leboho then allegedly asked Sithole why the local authority was failing to pay employees’ salaries on time.
The court heard that this angered Sithole who then grabbed the complainant by the neck resulting in Leboho sustaining a swollen neck.
The matter was then reported to the police leading to the arrest of Clr Sithole.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter