Online Reporter
Dalyn Chigwizura
A BULAWAYO man‘s moment of anger has landed him in a place where there are no knobkerries, only prison bars!
Washington Mpofu (26) of Nkulumane will have plenty of time to think about his temper after he was sentenced to an effective eight months behind bars for cracking a fellow man’s eyebrow with a knobkerrie during a heated misunderstanding.
The drama unfolded on 29 May at Rumrich Shops in Nkulumane, where Mpofu and Kholwani Ndlovu (36) reportedly locked horns over an undisclosed issue.
Instead of settling the matter with words, Mpofu allegedly decided to let a knobkerrie do the talking.
According to prosecutor Tafara Dzimbanhete, the accused grabbed the traditional weapon and struck Ndlovu once on the right eyebrow.
That single blow left the complainant nursing a nasty cut near his eye and needing medical attention. Police were called in and the case quickly moved from the shopping centre to the courtroom.
Appearing before Western Commonage magistrate Jeconia Prince Ncube, Mpofu was convicted of assault.
The magistrate initially sentenced him to 12 months in prison. Four months were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour, leaving him with an effective eight-month jail term. The case serves as a painful reminder that a few seconds of anger can earn someone months behind bars.
For Mpofu, what started as a misunderstanding at the shops ended with a one-way trip to prison.
As for the complainant, he walked away with a scar. Mpofu walked away with a prison sentence.
Lesson of the day? When tempers flare, keep the knobkerrie parked at home. Eyebrows heal, but prison time is a lot harder to explain!
derick.khumalo