Mugabe name earns Hwange man grievous assault

Hwange (Indonsakusa) – Two soldiers were recently fined $1 000 each by a Hwange magistrate for heavily assaulting a local man who shared a similar surname with former President Robert Mugabe.

Philani Nyoni, (34), and Sindiso Nkomo, (30), allegedly attacked Tawanda Mugabe with empty bottles of beer accusing him of being related to the “man who had caused so much suffering.”

The two, who are stationed at 1.2 Infantry Battalion in Hwange appeared before Hwange Provincial magistrate, Ailenne Munamati facing threats to commit murder and assault charges. They denied the allegations claiming that complainant was framing them.

However, Munamati convicted the two.

For threatening Mugabe with death they were spared jail and ordered to pay a fine of $200 or alternatively one month imprisonment. They had an additional two months wholly suspended conditionally for three years.

On the assault charge Nyoni and Nkomo were each fined $800 or alternatively six months in jail while an additional six months were wholly conditionally suspended for three years.

The court heard that on December 8 last at the Cricket Club, Hwange, around 5am Nyoni and Nkomo approached Mugabe after they heard him being called “Mugabe” by his friend.

The two then threatened to kill the complainant by unspecified means before accusing him of being related to the late former President Robert Mugabe saying in Shona and English “anonzi Mugabe we should kill him, Mugabe killed a lot of people in this region” literally meaning “we must kill that one called Mugabe because Mugabe killed a lot of people in this region”.

For the State, Trymore Chitumbu said by so doing the duo inspired a reasonable fear or belief to the complainant that a crime of murder was going to be committed upon him.

Nyoni went on to strike Mugabe once on the left arm with an unknown sharp object before Nkomo also struck him with a broken piece of bottle on the chest. He sustained a deep laceration on the left arm and chest as a result of the attack.

A report was made to the police leading to the arrest of the accused persons.
Indonsakusa – New Ziana