CHIREDZI – Forget Ngwenyeni (18) from Ndali village under chief Tshovani was recently slapped with a 10-year jail term by Chiredzi regional magistrate Judith Zuyu for raping his 16-year-old niece.
Three years of the sentence were, however, conditionally suspended.
The State, led by Moreblessing Rusere, convinced the court that Ngwenyeni raped the girl when he slept over at her place on August 18.
When he committed the offence, he had watched a movie until late hours.
The complainant went to sleep and left Ngwenyeni with her guardian but he too later went to sleep earlier than Ngwenyeni.
The complainant told the court she just woke up and found Ngwenyeni on top of her and she alarmed her aunt who was sleeping in an adjacent house. Accompanied by the aunt, the complainant went to report the matter to the police the same day.
On August 21, the complainant was medically examined and it was observed that penetration had occurred.
Magistrate Zuyu described the offence as the highest level of madness because the offender and the complainant are related.
“The complainant is your niece and you were expected to protect her considering that her maternal parents were not around…there is need for the community to be protected from such abuses,” said Zuyu.local

Prince Danda

MBERENGWA – One of the two men who recently fooled ZTV by claiming they were into witchcraft and were in possessions of a hyena, baboon, snake and cats that they used for their evil works has been placed in Mlondolozi Mental Health Prison in Bulawayo while the other has been deemed fit to stand trial.
Twenty-year-old Sifelani Dube of Gwarimba Village under Chief Chingoma in Mberengwa, appeared before Zvishavane Magistrates Court charged with public nuisance. He appeared with Soton Shumba (57) of number 424 Mataga growth point in Mberengwa.
The duo was examined by two doctors who concluded that Dube was suffering from hallucinations but Shumba was found fit to stand trial.
The duo appeared before Zvishavane magistrate Archie Wochiunga who remanded Shumba to out of custody to November 29.
The court heard that the duo schemed to deceive members of the public and gain fame in the process by inviting a ZBC TV crew to Gwarimba Village where Dube made a false confession that he practiced witchcraft using hyenas, owls, baboons and snakes.
The story was broadcasted on the television station’s 20:00 hrs main news bulletin on October 15. On October 17, the duo also went live on National FM and continued to utter their deceitful claims.
Dube claimed that he was initiated into witchcraft 14 years ago by his grandmother with whom he was staying.
Stanley Ncube prosecuted.local

MWENEZI – A 59-year-old man, who went on the run for 18 years after allegedly murdering his aunt before being arrested in July this year, will breathe a sigh of relief after the High Court ordered his release from remand prison because State witnesses are nowhere to be found.
Mwenezi magistrate Honest Musiiwa granted that Ellimon Masocha, of Nyika village under Chief Maranda, be released following an order from the High Court.
Prosecutor Willard Chasi told the court that the High Court had ordered the release of Masocha from remand prison as State witnesses in the matter are yet to be located.
He said once the witnesses are found, the State will proceed with its case by way of summons. Some of the witnesses in Masocha’s case are said to be in South Africa while others are said to be already dead.
The State case is that on February 4, 1999, Masocha approached his aunt who was working in her fields. He began to accuse her of being a witch who was causing poverty to his family.
Masocha allegedly stuck his aunt on the neck using a hoe handle resulting in her instant death.
After committing the offence, Masocha was reportedly spotted by eye witnesses running away from the scene and he immediately fled to South Africa only to be arrested last July upon his return.local

ZVISHAVANE – A man has approached the courts seeking to have a maintenance refund after DNA tests proved that he is not the father of the two children whose upkeep he has been paying for.
Pedzisai Dube appeared before magistrate Archie Wochiunga appealing for his former wife Chipo Zhou to reimburse the total expenses he has incurred for the more than two years that he had been maintaining the two children that have now been proven to be not biologically his.
Dube paid for paternity tests to establish if he was the real father to the children and the results showed that he is not.
Dube told the court he wanted to be refunded a total sum of US$2 500 by his former wife.
By the time of going to press, he was expected to be back in court for continuation of trial.local

Cephas Shava

MWENEZI – A Mwenezi Primary grade seven pupil had to write his exams on a Neshuro District Hospital bed where he was rushed after sustaining severe injuries from a crocodile attack he suffered while crossing Mwenezi River on his way home from school.
Esau Sinina of Sosonye village five under Chief Chitanga confirmed to TellZim News that his son, Energy Sinina was still admitted at the hospital after his leg was savaged by the sneaky reptile.
“He was crossing Mwenezi River at the usual crossing point and in the company of other pupils when he was attacked. They had noticed that the water was unusually dirty but little did they suspect that it could be the work of a crocodile and when he was attacked, his friends ran away.
“The river is shallow at that point so the crocodile dragged him for about 10 metres but he never ceased punching it with his fist on its ear and the reptile finally let him go. A man later arrived at the scene but the boy had already dragged himself out of danger,” said Sinina.
He said he hoped his son would soon recover from hospital though he said he believed the attack had inflicted permanent scars on him.
Mwenezi Primary School head Ndlovu said the boy wrote the last three of his grade seven final examinations while in hospital.local

… ‘geography answer sheets tempered with’

Brighton Chiseva

ZAKA – Musiso High School ‘A’ level pupils have petitioned the District Schools Inspector (DSI) Beaula Shambambeva asking her to investigate the alleged breaching of examination rules and regulation by the schools administration.
TellZim News leant that Shambambeva and her team recently descended on the school after learning about the damaging allegations.
When reached for a comment, Shambambeva admitted visiting the school following the complaints but was quick to say all was well at the school and the examinations were running smoothly.
“Yes I visited the school but we discovered that everything was well organised and the examination committee was in order, that is all I can tell you and if there is anything more you can call the PED, or Zimsec office,” said Shambambeva.
In their letter, a copy of which was seen by TellZim News, the pupils raise a host of complaints including allegations that their geography paper one answer scripts was reopened in private and their answers tempered with.
They also complain over delays in starting time, inadequate examination materials and improper sitting arrangements.
“We are a group of upper sixth candidates of St Anthony’s and would like to bring to your attention serious and massive examination rigging and other forms of malpractices done at our school… our aim is to ensure that  you our superiors act quickly to avert a possible exams disaster that may befall us..,” reads part of the letter.
The allege that after writing geography on the October 17, the paper was sealed in the pupils presence but rumours soon followed that the answer sheets were reopened for malicious reasons.
“On 17 Oct 2017 rumour had it that the school administration led by the head and the invigilators locked themselves up in the head’s office and broke the envelope we had sealed the previous day (16-10-17). They then tempered with our scanner sheets by ‘rearranging scripts and correcting errors’ on our answer papers during our absence…we strongly believe that our answers were tempered with for the good of us or otherwise,” reads the letter.
The pupils also protest the sitting arrangements, saying they were made to seat too close to each other, a situation which they say allowed copying.
They also said a chemistry paper written on October 19 was open one way before the start time.
“An ‘A’ level chemistry paper was supposed to be written at 1400. The paper was opened and a whole hour passed before candidates were told to start writing…The reason given for the delay was that there were no data booklets. We were advised to continue the paper without the use of the vital booklets,” further reads the letter.
However this publication was reliably informed that the DSI and her team found out that the answer scripts were opened because the school administration had wanted to remove multiple choice perforations and in another case they had forgotten to include the register.
It is further said they visited the school the following day following an order from the provincial office after it was reported that a teacher who was not in the examination committee had gone away with the keys leading to delays in the writing of a chemistry paper.local