Chronicle Editor
Patrick Chitumba, Midlands Bureau Chief
BULAWAYO High Court judge Justice Evangelista Kabasa has sentenced a 32-year-old Mberengwa man to 30 years in prison for fatally stabbing a fellow villager in the chest, perforating his heart, in revenge after the spilling of a soft drink.
Justice Kabasa, sitting at the Gweru High Court Circuit at the Gweru Magistrates’ Court, found Morgan Nsingo of Village Mukwami, Chief Bvute area in Mberengwa, guilty of murder with actual intent and sentenced him to an effective 30 years in prison.
Nsingo pleaded not guilty to murder, but Justice Kabasa found him guilty of murder with actual intent after a full trial.
She gave him a lengthy prison sentence saying it was aimed at deterring would-be offenders.
Nsingo, the court proved, fatally stabbed Bloodwell Musiiwa (28) on the chest at around 7am on May 3, 2017.
In his defence, Nsingo told the court that he had been provoked by Musiiwa who had ganged up on him together with other revealers as he was drinking beer at Makomo Bottle Store, Bvute Business Centre Mberengwa the previous day.
However, witnesses told the court that Nsingo, a bully, was behaving like “an animal” as he went about assaulting fellow revellers in the bar.
Colletter Hove, told the court on the May 2 in 2017 at around 9pm, she was at Makomo Bottle Store in the company of her friend Moreblessing Moyo.
She said she bought a soft drink and went outside the bar.
“Nsingo followed me, snatched the soft drink, opened it and spilled it on the ground. I questioned him about his behaviour. One of the patrons by the name Tunga intervened and asked Nsingo why he was behaving like an animal,” said Hove.
She said Nsingo returned to the bar and assaulted her brother Inzvirashe on the mouth with a fist.
“Another patron Zenzo Phiri also intervened and questioned the accused as to why he was such a bully. Nsingo withdrew a knife from his pocket and stabbed Phiri once. Other patrons tried to disarm him but Nsingo resisted,” said Hove.
She said she went to her place of residence and the following morning at around 730am, Nsingo came to her bedroom window, knocked and shouted, bragging that he had killed Moreblessing’s brother.
Prosecutor, Mr Mirirai Shumba told the court that on May 2 in 2017, Nsingo and Musiiwa were drinking beer at Makomo Bottle Store.
He said Nsingo and Musiiwa were drinking beer separately with their friends.
The court heard that a misunderstanding ensued between Nsingo and Musiiwa after Nsingo spilled Hove’s soft drink.
Musiiwa confronted Nsingo who became violent and began to fight with most people in the bar.
The court heard that Musiiwa went to his homestead.
The following morning, Nsingo, the court heard, went to Musiiwa’s homestead armed with an okapi knife.
Musiiwa woke up and stood by the door to his bedroom before Nsingo confronted him accusing him of ganging up on him and assaulting him the previous night.
Nsingo, the court heard, drew out the okapi knife and stabbed Musiiwa once on the chest and left him for dead.
Musiiwa’s uncle heard him screaming for help before he went to check on him and found him lying on the ground in a pool of blood.
Musiiwa was ferried to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Police attended the scene and recovered the okapi knife that was used in commission of the offence leading to the arrest of Nsingo.
The deceased’s remains were ferried to United Bulawayo Hospitals for a post mortem examination which concluded that his death was caused by haemorrhagic shock, bilateral haemothorax and a perforated heart.
Online Reporter