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Gibson Mhaka
THERE’S nothing more disturbing than murder and when it is committed by a child or teenager, it is even more horrifying.
While motivations behind such acts may forever remain elusive, society can strive to learn from these tragic cases
In Mapulula 2 Village in Plumtree, Matabeleland South Province, a 16-year-old boy was arrested for allegedly killing another teenager after punching him once in the jaw.
The victim reportedly suffered a fatal head injury after falling and hitting his head on a tarred road following the punch.
When the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared before Plumtree resident magistrate Joshua Nembaware facing murder charges, he prompted the magistrate to express concern about the increasing rate of such tragedies among young people.
Magistrate Nembaware emphasised the urgent need for stakeholders, including parents, religious leaders and community members, to collaborate in addressing the concerning trend.
The teenager was not asked to plead and was remanded out of custody to 17 June.
Circumstances are that on 1 October last year at around 1 am the victim, accompanied by Blessing Moyo, was walking home from Mqegula Business Centre.
They were approximately 500 metres from the shops, along the tarred road, when they encountered the accused person walking in the same direction.
The court heard that Blessing reportedly left the two behind as they engaged in a heated argument over an undisclosed issue.
The accused then allegedly struck the deceased once in the left jaw with a fist before he head-butted him once on the forehead.
As a result of the assault, the deceased fell unconscious onto the tarred road, landing on his back.
It is reported that the accused, realising the victim had fallen on his head, left him unconscious on the tarred road and went home.
At around 3am, a passerby spotted the victim lying unconscious on the tarred road. Assuming he was drunk, the Good Samaritan lifted him off the road.
The court further heard that on the same day, at around 6am two security guards going home from Mqegula Business Centre spotted the victim lying unconscious by the roadside.
They informed his family members, who rushed to the scene and quickly arranged transport to ferry him to Izimnyama Clinic.
However, the clinic referred him to Plumtree District Hospital due to the severity of his condition.
The victim was further referred to Mpilo Hospital in Bulawayo, where he passed away on 7 October.
The matter was reported to the police and investigations led to the arrest of the teenager.
Prosecutor Selestine Madziwa appeared for the State.
Online Reporter