Online Reporter
THERE are arguments that should end with silence, others with counselling, and some with a simple apology.
But a dispute over beans allegedly ended with a man hiding in the bush, eating raw sweet potatoes and begging his family to burn his body if he was killed.
That is the chilling tragedy surrounding the death of Zhombe man Mpendulo Nyoni (55) who allegedly became the target of a deadly family hunt after assaulting his wife of 31 years.
According to police and Nyoni’s family, 13 of his in-laws allegedly hunted him down, assaulted him at two locations, broke his arms and legs and stabbed him several times before leaving him severely injured.
He died on 20 May. Let that sink in.
A domestic dispute allegedly escalated into a revenge mission so vicious that the victim reportedly believed his own death was imminent.
There is absolutely no justification for what happened to Nyoni if the allegations are proved in court.
Yes, Nyoni allegedly assaulted his wife, Sichelesile Dube (52) following a dispute over beans from their harvest.
Domestic violence is wrong. Full stop. But the answer to domestic violence cannot be mob justice.
It cannot be 13 people hunting down a man like an animal.
It cannot be breaking bones, stabbing someone and abandoning them to die.
Zimbabwe has laws, courts and police. If someone commits a crime, report it.
If a woman is abused, protect her and seek justice.
If a man is abused, protect him too.
But revenge cannot become justice.
What makes this tragedy even more disturbing is the alleged involvement of so many relatives.
A family meeting should be a place where tempers are cooled, not where a death squad is assembled.
And what about the children?
Mpendulo and Sichelesile had been married for 31 years and had four children.
One child is reportedly 31 years old, while the youngest is sitting for Form Four examinations this year.
Imagine carrying the trauma of losing a father in such horrific circumstances while trying to concentrate on examinations.
Imagine knowing that the people accused of killing your father are relatives from your mother’s side.
That is a wound that will not heal simply because a court case ends.
Police have so far named six suspects, with only Sichelesile and Terence Dube arrested, according to Commissioner Paul Nyathi. Sichelesile is out on bail while other suspects remain at large.
The case is before the Kwekwe magistrates’ courts today.
We must allow the courts to determine who is guilty.
Whatever the verdict, one lesson is already painfully evident.
GBV must never be answered with GBV.
A violent husband does not deserve to be beaten to death by relatives.
An abused wife does not need revenge. She needs protection, justice and support.
Families must stop turning domestic disputes into battlefields.
Because today it is beans.
Tomorrow it could be something even smaller.
No plate of beans should ever cost a family a human life.
