Online Reporter
Danisa Masuku [email protected]
A NURSE who caused a scene at a popular leisure joint in Tshabalala suburb in Bulawayo when he ran berserk and stabbed another man several times with a broken beer bottle has been found guilty of assault as defined in Section 89(1) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23].
He has been sentenced to perform 525 hours of community service.
Tendai Junior Visendi, from Bulawayo’s Nketa suburb, was initially charged with attempted murder but at the conclusion of the trial Western Commonage Regional Magistrate Mr Pasipanodya Maturure found him guilty of assault.
He sentenced Visendi to 24 months’ imprisonment, nine months were suspended for a period of five years on condition that he does not within that period commit any offence involving violence.
The remaining 15 months were suspended on condition that Visendi performs 525 hours of community service at Nkulumane High School.
In sentencing him, the magistrate said: “The court finds that the complainant and his witness were credible. The accused’s version that he was ‘defending himself’ is undermined by the disproportionate nature of the weapon used. A bottle is a lethal weapon. The defence of self defence fails because the means used were not reasonable in the circumstances,” said Mr Maturure.
The magistrate said the State, represented by Ms Melisa Dube, failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused specifically intended to kill the complainant, but rather that he intended to cause serious bodily harm to the complainant.
“The prosecution managed to prove a lesser charge, which is assault. The court will also consider in mitigation that the offender did not plan to commit the offence, he just reacted to the heat of the moment thereby inflicting injuries on the complainant using a bottle,” he said.
The court noted that the offence of assault is prevalent in society and there is need for the court to impose a deterrent sentence.
“It is high time people learn to resolve their differences through non violent means. It is sad that this offender committed the offence at a public place thereby creating a scene and also humiliating the complainant in front of members of the public,” he said.
The court also noted that it is aggravatory that the offender used a bottle to commit the crime of assault and that he targeted the complainant’s head.
Prosecutor, Ms Melisa Dube told the court that on 4 April 2026, at around 6pm at Chicken Corner, Tshabalala, Bulawayo, the complainant, Tendai Gwaze (32), was seated inside his car with his friends when Visendi and his friends arrived at the leisure joint and started pushing and shoving each other towards Gwaze’s car.
“Gwaze tried to talk to the accused and his friends to move away from his car. All of a sudden, Visendi ran berserk and picked up a beer bottle before assaulting the complainant with it once on the left cheek and face before it broke. Visendi went on to stab the complainant once on the right hand,” said Ms Dube.
