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Musawenkosi Moyo
A 38-YEAR-OLD gold panner from Insiza District in Matabeleland South Province was sentenced to two years in prison for stabbing his employer.
Osama Ndlovu appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Mathew Mutiro facing one count of attempted murder.
He pleaded not guilty and was convicted after trial and sentenced to three years in prison, of which one year was suspended on condition that he does not commit a similar offense within a period of five years.
In his defense, Osama stated that it was the complainant, Hardlife Ndlovu, who assaulted him first and that he only stabbed him in self-defense.
He claimed that on the day in question, he and a friend of the complainant had been helping the complainant get home after a night of drinking when the complainant got into an altercation with another employee over money issues.
“When the two of them started arguing, I held back the complainant so that they would not fight. After the other employee had left, Hardlife became angry at me and started assaulting me with the help of his friend,” he said.
Osama stated that he then ran away to his house and the two followed him and proceeded to attack him, forcing him to pick up an axe handle and started hitting them with it before he stabbed the complainant.
The complainant denied attacking the accused first and stated that he had gone to the complainant’s home to discuss business matters when the accused suddenly attacked him.
In his judgment, the magistrate took into account that the accused had continued to assault the complainant even after he had been subdued and could no longer pose a threat to the accused.
He also took into account that the means used to assault the complainant were dangerous, the complainant was stabbed in the head (a very delicate part of the body), and that the complainant had suffered severe injuries with lifelong effects.
Circumstances are that on 13 November 2024, at around 3am, Hardlife went to Osama’s house to discuss business matters.
It was heard that the accused suddenly became angry and started assaulting the complainant with an axe handle and then proceeded to stab him once on the head with an okapi knife.
The matter was reported to the police, leading to the arrest of the accused
Online Reporter