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Court Reporter
A Harare nurse was yesterday arraigned before the courts for allegedly assaulting a seven-month pregnant woman following a misunderstanding over rent.
Maria Rujuwa (36) pleaded not guilty to assault and malicious damage to property charges when she appeared before Mbare magistrate Ms Shelly Zvenyika.
The matter was rolled over to today for continuation of trial.
Rujuwa told the court that she did not assault Tendai Sango but had only asked her and her brother to leave her house as her brother had not paid rent.
“I did not assault anyone. I only told them to leave the house or pay the rent,” she said.
However, Sango, who was in tears said she sustained injuries due to the beating she got from Rujuwa.
“It is painful for someone to say that they did not assault you when they did. It is even more painful that she is not even remorseful for her actions. After she assaulted me I was in a lot of pain and I even bled which is something scary considering that I am pregnant,” she told the court.
The prosecutor Mr Stanley Musekiwa alleged that on March 26 this year, Sango was in her brother’s room when Rujuwa who is the landlady at that house came into the room.
The court heard that Rujuwa then asked Sango and her brothers to go outside as her brother had not paid his monthly rentals for March.
Sango and her brother did not comply with Rujuwa’s instruction which angered her resulting in her bringing a stick which she used to assault Sango and in the process damaged Sango’s mobile phone worth $450.
Online Reporter