The Chronicle

BULAWAYO, Saturday, October 14, 1967 — In a warned and cautioned statement which was read at a preparatory examination of allegations of murder and attempted murder — heard at the Que Que Magistrate’s Court yesterday — the accused claimed that he and his wife decided to get rid of their children so that they could start life afresh. Fikison Benard is accused of the attempted murder of his wife, Glorisi, the murder of their natural son, Makauso, and the attempted murder of Dauti, his two-year-old stepson.

Benard’s statement was that his wife started to strangle Dauti while he held the child’s legs. She was unable to do so and he continued with the strangling until the child appeared to stop breathing. He then threw him into a ditch.

An argument followed about whether they should tell the police and the wife ran away, but he chased and caught her, they grappled and when she bit him he stabbed her and left her unconscious. She had dropped the other child in her flight and he took it and put it in a “certain place” before leaving and giving himself up to the police, the statement continued.

Evidence was led that shortly after midnight and on the morning of September 12, Glorisi ran into the charge office at Amaveni covered with blood. She and a police detail went to a path near Que Que and in a ditch they found a child, Dauti, kneeling with his face on the ground and suffering from minor injuries.

The police could not find the other child and after a radio message that Benard had given himself up, they took the woman and Dauti to hospital and then collected the accused.