Harare (New Ziana) – Two women from Nyanga have been ordered to perform 105 hours of community service each in place of three months’ imprisonment for physically abusing their in-law.

The women aged 20 and 50 from Village 14A, Nyanga were convicted by the Beitbridge Magistrates’ Court on charges of physical abuse, according to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ).

The state case was that the duo assaulted the 26-year-old complainant on September 29 around 8pm when they discovered that the latter had paid a three-day visit to Nyanga.

They called the complainant, who is their in-law, to the kitchen and asked her about her whereabouts over the three days she was not home, resulting in a misunderstanding.

Unsatisfied with their in-law’s explanation, one of the two women went to the complainant’s bedroom and started throwing belongings outside.

Later, the women pushed the complainant outside the kitchen and started assaulting her with one of them punching her four times in the face and kicked her thrice on her left leg while the other held her hands to prevent her from defending herself. The complainant, who sustained injuries, was rescued by an onlooker.

The two women were sentenced to three months imprisonment wholly suspended on condition that they perform 105 hours of community service each.

The NPAZ is on record encouraging members of the public to desist from violence and resolve their disputes amicably or seek third party mediation.

Meanwhile, the Nyanga Magistrates’ Court fined a 35-year-old man US$100 or alternatively eight months in prison for assault.

The assault charges arose from an incident on October 4 around 7am when the man ordered a nephew he believed possessed some goblins to buy a beast and raise money for a cleansing ceremony to get rid of the goblins.

The complainant refused to do the cleansing ceremony and declared that he did not own any goblins.

This angered the man, who punched the complainant until he fell on the ground where he further kicked him with a booted feet on his jaw, resulting in him sustaining a cut on the mouth.

New Ziana