Scuffle over traditional beer turns tragic

A 28-YEAR-OLD Chipinge man who snatched a one-litre container of traditional beer brew from a fellow villager and later stabbed him in the chest with a knife while refusing to return the liquor appeared at the Mutare High Court facing murder charges.

Phineas Mhlanga, from Guyo Village, under Chief Musikavanhu is charged with murder as defined in Section 47 (1) (a) or (b) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform Act) Chapter 9:23.

Public prosecutor Mr Malvin Musarurwa told the court that the crime was committed on March 18 this year.

Senior judge Justice Helekani Mwayera heard the case.

The court heard that Hondo Ndlovu died on the spot from the stabbing wounds.

“The accused person assaulted the deceased by stabbing him with an Okapi knife once on the centre of the chest. On March 20, Dr Stephen Mbiri carried out a post-mortem and concluded that the cause of death was due to haemorrhagic shock due to severe penetrating chest trauma and aortic and lung perforation,” said Mr Musarurwa.

The State called Clara Muyambo, who was selling traditional beer at her homestead, to testify.

She said on the fateful day the accused person left her homestead at around 5.30pm without paying for beer which he had drunk with his friends.

She followed the suspects in the company of Nhamo Mafadze, Isaac Sigauke, Johnson Mlambo and the now deceased.

The deceased was carrying a one-litre container with traditional beer.

About 100 metres from the homestead, she abandoned the mission and returned home leaving the others following the accused person.

She was later informed of the death of the deceased.

Mafadze told the court that they followed the accused person after Muyambo gave up the chase and caught up with him after about 500 metres from the homestead.

Upon confronting him, the suspect snatched the container from the deceased and ran away. The deceased gave chase and caught up with him after about 50 metres. The accused person then pulled out an Oapi knife and stabbed the deceased once in the chest. He fell down and died on the spot. Mafadze said they later reported the case to the police.

The trial continues.