Cephas Shava
MWENEZI – A 25-year-old Mwenezi man was last week convicted by the Magistrates’ Court after he was found guilty of striking his elderly sister with a burning log following an argument over a missing chicken.
Fightwell Mawera of Mharadze village under Chief Maranda was convicted on his own plea of guilty of contravening section 4 (1) of the Domestic Violence Act Chapter 05:16 ‘physical abuse’.
Magistrate Honest Musiiwa sentenced him to eight months imprisonment, three of which were, however, conditionally suspended. The remaining five months were set aside on condition that Mawera performed 175 hours of community service at Chemvana Secondary School.
It was the State’s case that on February 12, 2018 at around 14:00 hrs, Mawera arrived home and found his sister, Violet Sibanda (27) cooking in the kitchen. Sibanda began to question Mawera about her missing chicken.
A misunderstanding ensued between the two, causing Mawera to pick a piece of burning firewood from the fireplace and strike Sibanda three times on her head. He further took a cooking stick which he used to hit the victim several times all over her body.
As a result of the assault, Sibanda sustained some burns on her left arm and a swollen head. She was referred to Neshuro District Hospital where she was medically examined. A police report was made leading to Mawera’s arrest.court
