Wife killer gets 20yrs

A MAN from Lupane who killed his wife by hitting her with a hammer and a hoe handle after she allegedly angered him during a domestic dispute has been sentenced to 20 years in jail.

Nhlanhla Sithole (37) of Mafinyela Village hammered his wife Florence Jede who was 33 years old at the time of her death last year after she came back home to collect her property, accusing him of infidelity.

Convicting Sithole of murder with constructive intent, Bulawayo High Court judge, Justice Martin Makonese sitting on circuit in Hwange bemoaned the increase in domestic violence cases arguing that the courts would not be lenient.

“The courts will continue to frown at people who take the law into their own hands. The courts will also continue to shun domestic violence which will bring about death. Accused was at pain and the court unanimously agrees that there was no provocation to warrant accused’s behaviour. His conduct was deplorable and the injuries noted in the post-mortem shows that he used excessive force and multiple blows which is inconsistent to your claims that you struck her once,” said Justice Makonese.

Sithole through his pro deo lawyer, Ms Sithabile Daka of Dube, Nkala and Company said he acted out of provocation after claiming that his wife had insulted him.

“Accused only attacked deceased after being insulted about his mother which angered him. He did not have the intention to cause the death of deceased or foresee the possibility of death but admits that he negligently caused the death of the deceased,” she said.

According to the State led by Ms Memory Munsaka, on 5 July 2017 at around 7pm, Jede who was in the company of Ms Nonsikelelo Nyoni arrived at her former home from her mother’s homestead intending to collect some of her property. She found Sithole absent and decided to sleep over to wait for him.

The following day Sithole arrived and Jede told him she had come to collect her property which comprised blankets, plates and pots.

Sithole, however, told her that he had given the property to his second wife.

The court heard that Jede and Mrs Nyoni went to Mrs Sikhangele Moyo’s homestead adjacent Sithole’s home to spend the night.

The following morning on 7 July at around 6am, Jede proceeded to her former husband’s place leaving her niece behind.

Later Ms Nyoni followed her aunt to homestead and found the two arguing.

Sithole stood up and held his estranged wife by the collar at the same time holding a hammer with his right hand. He went on to strike Jede with the hammer on the left side of the head and she started bleeding profusely.

Ms Nyoni tried in vain to restrain Sithole but he threw a shovel at her before pulling her into the middle of the homestead. Ms Nyoni ran to seek help from a neighbour but when they returned they found Jede dead, lying in a pool of blood.

Sithole had fled the scene but was later arrested by police. According to the post-mortem report Jede suffered a depressed skull and multiple fractures while the cause of death was noted as internal bleeding in brain, head injury and assault. Sithole’s