Online Reporter
Peter Matika [email protected]
VIOLENT crime cast a dark shadow over the First Term of the Bulawayo High Court, with a staggering 64 murder cases accounting for almost the entire criminal roll, exposing the brutal nature of killings across Matabeleland and parts of the Midlands.
Murder cases made up the overwhelming majority of the 66 criminal matters set down for trial during the term, with only one theft case and one fraud matter appearing before the court.
According to the Criminal Cause List for the First Term of 2026, the High Court sat from January 12 to March 27, hearing serious offences involving accused persons from various districts within its jurisdiction.
Many of the cases detailed shocking allegations of extreme violence, with victims reportedly attacked using axes, knives, machetes, firearms, logs, stones, knobkerries and other deadly weapons.
Among the cases heard was that of four convicted men from Esigodini accused of fatally attacking Mandlenkosi Dube with axes, machetes, spears, knobkerries and sticks fitted with metal rings.
Court papers indicate that the victim was repeatedly struck all over his body in what prosecutors described as a savage and sustained assault.
In another disturbing case from Gwanda, three convicted men allegedly tied the victim’s hands and legs with wire before assaulting him with a hammer-mill fan belt, a horse pipe and booted feet.
Prosecutors said the victim was later drowned in a saline pond.
The court also dealt with a case in which four convicted persons allegedly tortured a victim using a taser gun before shooting him once in the chest.
In a separate matter from Fort Rixon, a man was convicted of murdering his wife after allegedly assaulting her with clenched fists before delivering a fatal blow to her head with an axe.
The causes of the killings were, in many instances, startlingly trivial.
Court records show that some of the murders stemmed from disputes over a missing cellphone, a disagreement at a mine shaft, accusations of witchcraft, acts of neighbourhood vigilantism, rent disputes and even an argument over a missing US$20.
The cause list also revealed a disturbing pattern of mob-style violence and group assaults, with many of the murder allegations involving two or more accused persons acting in common purpose.
The range of weapons allegedly used in the killings paints a grim picture of the violence involved. These included Okapi knives, axes, logs, stones, knobkerries, pick handles, firearms, sticks and other blunt instruments.
The overwhelming dominance of murder cases on the court roll underscores the persistent challenge posed by violent crime in the region.
It raises serious concern over the growing tendency to resort to deadly force in resolving disputes.
The judiciary has often called for a renewed focus on stronger community interventions, conflict-resolution mechanisms and sustained law enforcement efforts to curb serious violent offences and preserve human life.
