Online Reporter
Freedom Mupanedemo, [email protected]
A HIGH Court judge, Justice Munamato Mutevedzi, has sentenced a 24-year-old Kwekwe man to 35 years in prison for the murder of a man who had tried to stop a fight among artisanal miners.
Appearing before Justice Mutevedzi, sitting at the Bulawayo High Court circuit in Gweru, on a charge of murder was Polite Tapiwa Ncube of House No. 10/15, Mbizo, Kwekwe.
Ncube pleaded not guilty to murder but guilty to culpable homicide following the death of Zivaishe Chiseve (48).
In handing down judgment, Justice Mutevedzi said he found Ncube had acted unlawfully, resulting in Chiseve’s death.
He noted that Ncube’s two accomplices, Nomore Murangandi and Dzidzisai Chitengedza, had already been convicted and were serving prison terms.
Ncube’s 35-year prison sentence was handed down by the same court.
Prosecutor Ms Chipo Hungwe told the court that on July 3 at about 9.45pm, Ncube and his two friends, Murangandi and Chitengedza, went to Munjanja General Dealer at Beauty Business Centre in Mberengwa looking for Jonah Nhumwa.
The trio allegedly accused Nhumwa of stealing their gold ore.
“When they could not find Jonah, they turned on Decent Moyo instead, accusing him of hiding Jonah,” said Ms Hungwe.
The court heard that Chiseve, of Tazviona Village under Chief Mposi in Mberengwa, was not involved in the dispute.
He was merely trying to calm the situation.
The court heard that Ncube pulled out a knife and stabbed Chiseve once in the left thigh.
“Chiseve fell. Ncube and the other two then repeatedly kicked him all over his body. Thereafter, they forced Decent Moyo away from the scene, leaving Chiseve lying in a pool of blood,” said Ms Hungwe.
Chiseve was rushed to Mberengwa District Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
A post-mortem conducted on 7 July concluded that the cause of death was hypovolaemic shock due to a femoral artery laceration resulting from a stab wound to the left thigh.
The matter was reported to the police, leading to the arrest of the trio.
