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Chief Court Reporter
COURTS should complement the legislature to curb cases of domestic violence which are on the increase by imposing stiffer penalties to those who break the law, a High Court judge has said.
Justice Hlekani Mwayera said imposing deterrent sentences would send a strong message to perpetrators of domestic violence.
She made the remarks while imposing an 18-year jail term on Johannes Muringayi from Gwetera Village in Mt Darwin last week, for killing his pregnant wife Liana Mutekedzi at the height of a domestic dispute in December last year.
Muringayi denied murdering his wife whom he accused of pestering him over proceeds of goat meat he was selling at a shopping centre in the village.
But Justice Mwayera convicted him of murder with constructive intent and slapped him with the lengthy custodial sentence.
“In this case, the attack on the hapless woman resulted in the loss of life and the life she was carrying over a petty issue,”said Justice Mwayera.
“Cases of domestic violence are on the increase and a deterrent sentence is called for to send a strong message to would be offenders.”
Mr Innocent Chingarande of the Prosecutor General’s Office had pressed for a stiffer penalty. Muringayi denied the murder charge claiming he never killed his wife intentionally, adding that he never realised the real risk that his actions might end his wife’s life.
The dispute, which ended tragically, occurred on the eve of Christmas last year, when Muringayi slaughtered a goat at the couple’s homestead for celebrations. He sold some of the meat at Gwetera Business Centre.
This did not go down well with his wife who followed him to the business centre at around 7pm and started accusing him of spending the money on beer and forcefully took away all the money.
The court heard that an hour later after Mutekedzi had gone back home, a customer came with a US$5 note to buy meat worth US$1.Muringayi decided to go back home to ask for change from his wife.
On arrival, he found the doors to the homestead locked and it was deserted.
He went to look for Mutekedzi at the neighbouring homestead and found her.
Muringayi then asked his wife why she was not at home and she reportedly failed to give him a satisfactory explanation.
He asked for the change he had come for and she allegedly refused to give him, resulting in him beating Mutekedzi to death.
According to the police statistics cases of violence within homes are increasing with 10 667 cases of domestic violence cases were reported in 2011, while 13 170 were reported in 2012. From January to September 2013, 9 909 cases have been reported. The increase has baffled authorities, especially as it comes at a time when the Anti-Domestic Violence Act has been in force for the past few years.
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