Midlands murders: five handed lengthy sentences- NPA raises concern in spike

FIVE people from the Midlands province have been handed lengthy jail sentences for their involvement in attempted murder and murder cases, as the National prosecution Authority recently raised concern over the rise in murder cases in the region.
The five were convicted and sentenced for three separate incidents that occurred in the province.

In the first case, a man from Lower Gweru was sentenced to 20 years in jail for stabbing a man to death in 2020.
According to the National Prosecution Authority William Mpofu was convicted and sentenced by the High Court sitting at Gweru.
Mpofu committed the crime while he was aged 18, when he in the company of a group of criminals attacked patrons at a bar in the area.
The incident is reported to have occurred on 15 February 2020 at around 8:30 PM when Mpofu together with his accomplices attacked patrons at Sogwala Bottle Store.

“The accused person blocked the main entrance whilst holding a knife. His colleagues got into the bottle store and started to beat the patrons. The deceased who was part of the patrons tried to flee through the main entrance where the accused person was standing. The accused person stabbed the deceased once on the chest with an okapi knife.”
“The deceased died a few metres from the bottle store. Soon after, the accused person and his colleagues fled the scene in their motor vehicle. A Police report was made leading to the arrest of the accused person,” read a document from NPA.
For the second incident a set of brothers were sentenced to 5 years each for culpable homicide.
Two years of their sentence were suspended and will now serve three years of the sentence.
Wellington Mada, who was aged 29 at the time and Godknows Mada who was aged 23 at the time of commission of the offence appeared before the High Court sitting at Gweru.

It was stated that on 19 May 2022 at 10 PM the brothers confronted their cousin, who was aged 42 at the time of his death, accusing him of stealing a torch belonging to one Richard Mahachi.
A misunderstanding ensued during the confrontation, where the three then decided to proceed to Mahachi’s homestead to resolve the matter.
“Along the way the brothers started assaulting the deceased with fists and logs all over the body. They only stopped when they were restrained by their mother. The deceased later admitted to stealing the torch before he was taken home for nursing. On the 25th of May 2022 the deceased’s condition deteriorated and he was taken to hospital.”
He however succumbed to the injuries from the attack.
In another case that occurred in Zhombe in the same province two men were sentenced to 30 years in prison for murder.
Tarisai Makore and Aleck Nyoni appeared before the High Court sitting at Gokwe on murder charges.
According to NPA Makore and Nyoni committed the offence on 24 May 2021 at Manjanjathini tuck-shops, Dumezweni Village, Chief Ntabeni in Zhombe, where they were drinking beer.
The deceased, who was aged 22 at the time, was also drinking beer and playing pool while in the company of his brother and two others individuals.
“While at the tuck-shop, the second accused person approached the deceased’s brother and invited him and the now deceased to go before the elders to resolve a long standing dispute between the first accused person and the deceased. The now deceased and his brother refused.”
“This did not go down well with the first accused who threatened to strike the deceased’s brother with a knobkerrie. The deceased’s brother fled. The accused persons then assaulted the deceased and struck him using a knobkerrie, machete and an axe several times on the body,” read excerpts from NPA.
Makore and Nyoni fled the scene and left the deceased unconscious.
The deceased was then ferried to the hospital where he died upon admission.
@petematika