Harare, (New Ziana) – Simbarashe Zano, (35) from Bikita, Masvingo province has been sentenced to 16 years imprisonment for the murder of a beer drinking mate three years ago, the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) has said.
Zano of Nherere Village, Chief Marozva, Bikita was convicted by the High Court in Masvingo for the murder of fellow Nherere villager, Gift Mudyiwa (32) on March 15, 2022.
The NPAZ said Zano and Mudyiwa were drinking beer at Mugabe Bar when the latter went to buy beer at nearby Brian Bandauko’s shop around 3am.
The following morning around 5am, Zano was observed by a witness near the Chinhamo Business Centre bus stop dragging something that appeared heavy.
The witness identified Zano by his dreadlocks and the blue T-shirt he was wearing – the same clothes she had seen him wearing the previous day when she visited his shrine.
Upon noticing the witness, Zano fled. At about 5.30am Mudyiwa’s body was discovered near the bus stop at Chinhamo Business Centre. He was found lying on his right side, face down, in a pool of blood, with blood coming from his mouth and nose. A log was found near the body.
The police attended the scene at around 8am and took Mudyiwa’s body to the Masvingo General Hospital mortuary where a post-mortem revealed the cause of death as severe head injury and blunt trauma. Meanwhile, Zano had gone into hiding after the body was discovered only to be arrested more than a year later in October 2023.
Meanwhile, the same court separately jailed Benson Gwerena (21) of Makotose Village, Chief Madyangove, Chivi to an effective three years for culpable homicide.
The NPAZ said the culpable homicide arose from an incident in which Gwerena struck the deceased with a brick outside a shop at Muchenami Business Centre following a minor misunderstanding that started while the two were drinking beer on May 30 last year.
The two men had been thrown out of the shop where they were drinking beer as the shop was about to close for the night and sat by a fireplace outside when the misunderstanding arose. The deceased struck Gwerena with a burning log on the arm. Gwerena retaliated by striking the deceased with a brick, instantly killing him.
Gwerena ran away from the scene and the deceased’s body was later found lying in a pool of blood by a passerby who informed the police, with investigations later leading to Gwerena’s arrest.
The court found him guilty of culpable homicide and initially sentenced him to five years imprisonment but conditionally suspended two years of the jail term leaving him with an effective three years.
Also jailed for one year for culpable homicide by the same court was Jordan Mandava of Masimbaevanhu Village 12, Triangle.
Mandava was initially sentenced to five years but the court conditionally suspended four years of the sentence for five years.
The NPAZ said Mandava was convicted of the murder of a woman who had slapped him after the two had an argument in a beerhall in Chiredzi on April 28, 2023.
After the deceased slapped him several times, Mandava, a few moments later confronted her and in retaliation stabbed her on the left side of the neck and fled from the scene. The deceased was ferried to hospital where she died upon arrival.
New Ziana
