adminWalter Mswazie Masvingo Correspondent
A MASVINGO man bludgeoned his 72-year-old aunt to death with a log after an inyanga had told him that she was a witch. Phillip Chiurunge, 40, of Shumbayaonda under Chief Mapanzure, assaulted Ndaichinyei Chimbuya for a prolonged period while parading her before relatives, accusing her of supernaturally causing his mother to be paralysed.
He appeared before High Court judge Justice Francis Bere, on circuit here last week.
Chiurunge pleaded guilty to the gruesome killing that he committed on February 13 in 2008.
He was sentenced to an effective 18 years in prison after being convicted of murder with actual intent.
Justice Bere, with assessors Joseph Mushuku and Samuel Mutomba agreeing, said the court does not condone barbaric behaviour.
He said Chiurunge acted unreasonably when he assaulted his aunt till her death and had the intention to kill her.
Justice Bere pointed out that the court does not recognise issues of witchcraft.
“The accused had the intention to kill because he kept on assaulting the late with a log despite seeing that she was badly injured,” said Justice Bere.
Prosecutors say on February 13, 2008 at around 7PM, Chiurunge went to Chimbuya’s homestead in the same area where upon arrival he asked her if she was responsible for his mother’s paralysis.
“Chiurunge force-marched Chimbuya to her son’s homestead, Munyaradzi Zimuto (now late). On the way Chiurunge fetched a log and threatened Chimbuya with death for practising witchcraft,” said state counsel Elson Chavarika.
The court heard that prior to the assault, Chiurunge had consulted a sangoma as he wanted to ascertain the cause of his mother, Margret Jairos’ ailment which led to paralysis of the waist.
Chiurunge accompanied his victim to the village head Mutema Pwanyai Machonisi’s (now late) homestead where he continued to assault her all over the body accusing her of being a witch.
The court heard that Chiurunge again force-marched the late back to her homestead where he assaulted and left her for dead.
Chimbuya died later that night at her homestead due to head injuries sustained in the assault. Her body was discovered in her kitchen hut by Zimuto who had gone to check on her after learning of the dispute between her and Chiurunge.
The body was taken to Masvingo General Hospital for postmortem.
Postmortem results availed in court as an exhibit showed that Chimbuya died of serious head injuries. She sustained “a deep scalp laceration on the right frontal bone and fractured right tibia and fibula.”
Online Reporter