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Midlands Correspondent
A 30-YEAR-OLD gold panner from Gweru went berserk and attacked his wife and stepmother with a machete after the two had tried to restrain him from walking around armed with machetes following the recent ban on the weapon by police.
Mike Makuvire of Plot 9 Happy Valley in Gweru appeared before Gweru magistrate Ms Mildred Matuvi facing three counts of domestic violence. He pleaded guilty to two counts and was remanded in custody to 30 August for sentencing.
“I admit I assaulted my wife but did not stab her and I went on to beat my stepmother,” he said.
Prosecuting, Mr Fanuel Musevenzi told the court that on 11 August around 10pm, Makuvire offered a drink to Metelina Ndlovu, his wife who was not feeling well and she refused. He then slapped her once and kicked her on the cheek.
The court heard that the following evening, Makuvire took a machete and hit his wife several times on the thighs with the back of the weapon. The court heard that the next morning Makuvire went on to assault his grandmother after a family meeting.
“When Lucia Jakarasi (stepmother) heard noise from Makuvire’s bedroom she proceeded to the room where she found him assaulting his wife. She went on to shout at him commanding him to stop assaulting the wife and went back to her bedroom. The next morning a family meeting was conducted where Jakarasi warned his son to desist from keeping machetes,” he said.
Makuvire became angry and went on to kick Jakarasi twice on her ribs and struck her once on the forehead with the side of a machete. The two reported Makuvire to the police leading to his arrest.
Bongani Ndlovu