Harare, (New Ziana) – A pastor from Binga in Matabeleland North province has been jailed for an effective eight months in prison for attacking a colleague over a disagreement that resulted in him being ejected from a church meeting.

The incident comes at a time when the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) says most avoidable assault cases it dealt with ended in murder.

In a statement, the NPAZ said a Hwange magistrates court sentenced Misheck Ndlovu (62) of the Hope in Christ Church to 14 months imprisonment for the attack on a colleague.

The magistrate, however, conditionally suspended six months of the jail term for five years.

Charges against Ndlovu arose from an incident in which he was ejected from a pastors’ meeting at Kabwe Children’s Home after a misunderstanding with the complainant on May 16 and he waited by the gate to the premises.

Michael Nsingo arrived at the gate and struck a conversation with Ndlovu when the complainant came out and invited him inside.

This angered Ndlovu who felled the complainant to the ground and sat on his chest while choking him.

Ndlovu stopped the attack after being restrained by two other pastors that were at the meeting and a report was made to the police leading to his arrest.

The NPAZ encouraged members of the public to desist from violence and resolve their disputes amicably or seek third-party mediation. It said most assault cases that end up as murder cases can be easily avoided if people restrain themselves.

In a separate case, 20-year-old Silisiwe Mpofu of Victoria Falls will serve an effective nine months behind bars for assaulting and stabbing another woman with a knife at the Victoria Falls Truck Stop over a boyfriend.

The incident occurred on April 26 when the two women met at the truck stop. A misunderstanding arose when Mpofu accused the complainant of setting up her boyfriend with other women. The argument escalated and Mpofu stabbed the complainant with a knife twice on the right palm, once on the wrist of the left hand and once on the left shoulder.

The complainant reported the matter to the police leading to Mpofu’s arrest. She pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment of which three months were conditionally suspended for five years.

New Ziana