Online Reporter
Fairness Moyana, [email protected]
A 20-year-old man from Gwelutshena in Nkayi District has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for fatally stabbing his 17-year-old cousin in a shocking dispute over food portions at their rural homestead.
Bulawayo High Court judge, Justice Evangelista Kabasa, sitting on circuit at Hwange Magistrates Courts last week, convicted Wellington Moyo, who offered a limited plea of culpable homicide to a charge of murder as defined in Section 47 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23].
Prosecutor Martha Cheda represented the State.
The court heard that the fatal incident occurred in the early hours of 6 April 2025 at Ndabezinhle Zulu’s homestead in Zulu Village, under Chief Sikhobokhobo in Gwelutshena.
On the morning in question, the now deceased teenager and his younger brother, Welcome Dube (15), were using a yoke of four oxen to pull logs intended for constructing a temporary granary to dry maize.
At the same time, Moyo and their uncle, Ndabezinhle Zulu, were working in nearby fields harvesting sunflowers.
After completing their task around 7am, the two boys began unyoking the oxen.
Without warning, Moyo approached from behind, armed with a home-made knife he had been using in the fields, and stabbed the teenager once on the back of the neck.
The injured boy fled about 50 metres through a gate into nearby bush before collapsing. Moyo briefly pursued him but left him lying unconscious on the ground.
Terrified, Welcome Dube ran to alert a neighbour, Sabelo Sibanda. Together with Ndabezinhle Zulu, they rushed to the scene, where they found the teenager lying lifeless with a deep wound to the neck.
The trio apprehended Moyo and recovered the blood stained knife used in the attack.
He later led them to where the body lay. A report was subsequently made to the police.
In court, Ndabezinhle Zulu testified that shortly before the attack, Moyo had complained that the deceased did not give him enough food when cooking, often serving him smaller portions than others.
He said he advised Moyo to cook for himself if he was dissatisfied.
Investigating officer, Sergeant Liberty Upenyu Chiwora, told the court that he attended the scene and received the accused from villagers, along with the murder weapon. He confirmed that Moyo later made indications at the scene and gave a warned and cautioned statement.
The deceased’s body was taken to United Bulawayo Hospitals for a post-mortem.
The court found that Moyo acted with intent when he attacked the unarmed teenager from behind, leading to his death.
He was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment.
