Online Reporter
B-Metro Reporter
A Shurugwi teenager will spend the next 15 years behind bars after a drunken New Year’s brawl turned deadly at the notorious Cheeky Tiger Nite Club.
17-year-old Trinity Fanati was convicted of murder by the High Court sitting in Gweru after fatally stabbing his age mate, Tawanda Muzvihwi, in the chest during a heated altercation.
The crime occurred on 1 January 2024, at Donga Business Centre, where revellers had packed into the infamous Cheeky Tiger to ring in the New Year. But celebrations turned into chaos when Fanati allegedly clashed with Muzvihwi over an unknown misunderstanding.
“He stabbed the victim once in the chest with a sharp object and fled the scene,” reads the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) bulletin.
Muzvihwi collapsed and later died from cardiac tamponade, heart laceration and a stab wound to the chest, according to the post-mortem report. The weapon was never recovered.
The brutal killing shocked the small mining town of Shurugwi and sparked fresh calls for community action against rising knife crimes among youths.
More than a year after the bloodshed, Fanati finally faced justice. The court handed down a 15-year prison sentence, sending a strong message that youth violence won’t be tolerated.
“Knife crime is destroying families and cutting lives short. We need urgent interventions in clubs, schools and communities,” said a community leader who attended the court proceedings.
Locals say this isn’t the first violent incident linked to Cheeky Tiger Nite Club, a venue fast earning a rep as a hotspot for underage drinking, drug use and gang activity.
