Online Reporter
Moreblessing Ncube
A BULAWAYO man severely assaulted his girlfriend for refusing to unlock her phone so that he could go through it and satisfy himself that she was not cheating.
Francis Matutu (23) of Pumula North has since discovered that love is not built on passwords, punches and public drama after his obsession with the cellphone code landed him before the courts.
Arrest sobered him up fast and he appeared to have learnt the error of his ways as he cut a miserable figure before Bulawayo magistrate Themba Chimiso.
He was facing assault and theft charges after allegedly turning his nurse aide girlfriend’s, Mpho Nyegera, refusal into a violent showdown. Matutu was remanded in custody until 9 January for sentencing.
Prosecutor Tumeli Hindoga told the court that the trouble began on 28 November 2025 around 7PM. Matutu demanded the password to his girlfriend’s cellphone. Nyegera refused, standing firm on her privacy. That refusal reportedly sent Matutu into a rage.
In a fit of jealousy and control, he allegedly grabbed the phone and hurled it against the wall, smashing it and leaving trust in pieces.
The drama escalated. On 26 December 2025 around 4PM, the couple crossed paths again at Hawkers Pub in Bulawayo. What should have been a relaxed outing quickly turned into another public spectacle.
The court heard that Matutu snatched Nyegera’s handbag, which contained an Itel cellphone and cash, all valued at US$90, before sprinting away. When Nyegera confronted him and demanded her belongings back, Matutu allegedly responded with violence.
He is accused of assaulting her several times with open hands all over her body as shocked patrons looked on.
The total value of damages from the earlier phone smashing was placed at US$120, while the stolen items were valued at US$140. Nothing has been recovered in either incident.
