ZVISHAVANE – The urge to show off in front of women recently landed a Zvishavane man in hot soup after he was arrested by the police after failing to prove that the gadgets he was in possession of were actually his.
Ellington Gumbo (24) left the gallery at the Zvishavane Magistrate Court in uncontrollable laughter after he told the Presiding Magistrate Lyn Manyika that he only took the iPad and a cannon camera only to show off to his girlfriend and was not intending to keep the things.
“I did not steal the items but took them only to impress my girlfriend whom I wanted to show that I had expensive things and was on my way home to return them when I was intercepted by the police,” Gumbo told the court.
Magistrate Manyika sentenced Gumbo to 20 days in prison or alternatively to pay a fine of US$100 before the first day of June.
It was the State’s case that on the May 17, 2017, Gumbo broke into the house of his boss, Thomas Svikore, who had gone to Mutare on a business trip and took an Apple iPad and a cannon camera valued at US$800 before vanishing.
He however ran out of his ‘luck’ after he was stopped for questioning by police details who were patrolling in Mandava around 23:00 hrs.
It was then found that he had some gadgets which he failed to produce proof that they were his, leading to his immediate arrest.
This was after the police had interrogated him and got confessions from Gumbo who revealed that he had taken the goods from his boss’ bedroom.  
Stanley Ncube prosecuted.local

Nashe Mahachi

MUTARE – A two-year-old toddler was burnt to death after her six-year and seven-year-old brothers torched a thatched hut while the baby was inside.
The now diseased baby was identified as Zelma Mudyariwa of Mutsiyabako village under Chief Zimunya.
Manicaland police spokesperson Inspector Tavhiringwa Kakohwa said the minor sustained severe burns on face and stomach.
He said Zelma’s mother Edith Kapfumvuti went to the garden leaving the minor in the company of her brothers aged six and seven.
The two children then took a burning log from the fire place and lit the thatched house while the diceased was inside before running away.
The children heard Zelma crying and one of them ran and rescued her but it was too late as she had sustained some severe burns on face and stomach.
The toddler’s father Pfungwa Mudyariwa rushed her to Mutambara Mission Hospital where she succumbed to burns the following morning.
Inspector Kakohwa urged parents and guardians to leave their children in custody of mature people to avoid unnecessary loss of life.local

Shumirai Zhou

ZVISHAVANE – A 30-year-old woman residing at House Number 84, Mandava, was last week convicted for pouring hot water on her niece but was freed from the prospect of jail by the Zvishavane Magistrate Court.
Mtandazo Dube had pleaded guilty to charges of assault as defined in Section 89(1) (a) of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act Chapter 9:23 when she appeared before Magistrate Shepherd Mnjanja.
The magistrate, however, commuted Dube’s prison sentence to community service after considerations that she was nursing her 10-months-old baby and after the victim had pleaded that she be set free.
Mjanja identified Dube as a heartless woman who could have served the jail term had it not been for the given considerations.
She will therefore have to perform 12 weeks of community service at Gresham High School to make up for the 12 months imprisonment that still remained after Mnjanja had suspended three months of the prison term on condition that she does not commit a similar offence over the next three years.
Prosecutor Monica Mungwena told the court that on May 5, 2017 at around 19:00 hrs, the accused and her niece Grace Muturure (16), who is a form three pupil at Zvishavane High School, were involved in a heated argument over alleged gossip on the part of Dube.
It was heard that due to anger, Dube took a tin of boiling water and emptied it onto the complainant’s body.
The victim sustained severe blisters all over her body and was carried to Zvishavane District hospital before the arrest of Dube.local

File pic

Samukelisiwe Ngwenyama

SHURUGWI – There was shock after four boys working at a carwash in town died last Thursday in a horrific road accident while rushing to Gweru to fix a client’s car which had been damaged when they misused it.
Though no police comment could immediately be obtained, the accident occurred after Shurugwi Hospital environmental health officer Francis Maronde went to the carwash in town and left his Toyota Allion there for cleaning.
The boys who work at the carwash reportedly took advantage of Maronde’s absence to drive around in the vehicle but as fate would have it, damaged the car in the process.
They then reportedly decided to quickly drive the car to Gweru for fixing before the owner came back but little did they know that it would be the end of them all.
As they approached Chikwingwizha, the driver lost control of the vehicle and it skidded off the road, rolled and crashed into a big tree, killing three of them immediately while the other died later at the spot before emergency services had arrived.
The car was damaged beyond repair and the wreckage was yet to be removed from the accident scene by the time of writing.
Among them was a form one student who was identified as son to Sister Esther Thomas who happens to be Maronde’s colleague at work.
Another victim was identified as a tenant at Sister Thomas’s place while the other was son to a Shurugwi Covenant Ministry church pastor.
Maronde could not be reached for comment but sources said the boys were in the habit of abusing their clients’ vehicle whenever they got a chance.
It was also said that none of the four boys had a drivers’ licence.local

CHIVHU – Two cousin sisters who reside in J Extension, are engaged in a bitter feud over a boyfriend allegedly snatched by the elder sister.
Ethel and Moilah Munatsi are potato vendors who usually do their business around Chivhu post office but left work and exchanged blows at Spar in the presence of the said boyfriend last week, only to be restrained by members of the public.
The Munatsi sisters are said to have fought again later at home and were also said to have parted ways in their potato business.
Ethel told TellZim News her younger sister was at fault claiming she was the one who assaulted her first after finding out about the love triangle.
“I had to teach her a lesson, how could she beat me instead of us coming together as sisters and fight our common enemy. I will date that guy till she knows how to deal with matters and the boyfriend is mine even though he used to be hers,” boasted the big sister
She went on to brag about snatching the boyfriend, saying she was the better one of the two.
Moilah, however, insisted she will get her boyfriend back using whatever means necessary.
“She is a prostitute. How could she snatch my guy, a sister for that matter? I will deal with her accordingly and will not let her take him away,” said Moilah.local

TellZim Reporter

MASVINGO – Masvingo Rural District Council (RDC) has been praised for initiating the Plough Back Policy which has been described as a vehicle for development in line with the government policy on decentralisation.
This was said by community members during the commissioning of 2×2 classroom blocks at Harawe Satellite Primary School in ward 14.
The school was established in 2004 with an enrolment of 355 pupils and eight teachers but the current figures stand at 645 pupils and 14 teachers, with ECD alone constituting 192 pupils.
The new classrooms were constructed using plough back funds from the council, local Member of Parliament (MP) Davies Marapira, Schools Improvement Grant and the local community.
Masvingo district senator Clemence Makwarimba, who presided over the event which was attended by other dignitaries including District Administrator (DA) Roy Hove and Chief Chikwanda, thanked council for contributing 18 window frames, door frames, 50 chairs and 50 desks for the block.
The RDC also provided the lorry for the transportation of the materials as well as river and pit sand during the construction work. The council also graded the Zano – Harawe access road to ease travel.
Ward 4 Councillor Cornelus Gwinji expressed satisfaction with the project and thanked all stakeholders for working hand in glove for community development.
He also said Rukovo Clinic, which is in the same ward, had just received 10 rolls of security fence and the actual work of fencing was in progress while construction of Chikwanda Secondary School had received significant assistance from the same fund.
Masvingo RDC CEO Martin Mubviro hailed the decision to plough back 25 percent of all revenue collected from a particular ward for developmental projects, a position that was echoed by council chairperson Peter Marambire.
It was learnt that all 35 wards were engaged in various projects using the plough back funds with ward 13 having just completed a market stall which was now in use at Chikarudzo business centre.
Ward 2 is constructing a waiting mother’s shelter at Zimuto Clinic while ward 22 constructed Magodo bridge.local