Brothers jailed for axing Registry official

By Marvelous Moyo

The two brothers who left a Gwanda Registry officer for dead when they struck him with an axe and went on to rob him of his money, have been sentenced to six years in prison.

Joseph Joma (27) and his brother aged 17 both of Chindawi village in Masvingo were arraigned before Gwanda regional magistrate Mr Mark Dzira to answer to a charge of armed robbery. The two who pleaded not guilty were however convicted due to overwhelming evidence.

They were each sentenced to six years imprisonment but each had two years suspended for five years on condition that they do not commit a similar offence within that period. Mr Dzira said he had taken into account that the two robbers were first offenders and that the other one was still a juvenile.

“However, your offence is very serious. The second accused person (Joma) struck the complainant using an axe on his forehead and as a result he sustained serious injuries. There is no doubt that the injury interfered with his life. You struck him at the most vulnerable part of the body and you were acting in common purpose,” he said.

Mr Dzira said cases of armed robbery were on the increase in the country hence the need for perpetrators to be given deterrent sentences.

“You are people who cannot be underestimated because the second State witness, Mr Climate Dube, is also lucky to be alive in the sense that you also wanted to strike him with the axe. You did not want anything to stop you from what you wanted to achieve. You were prepared to do anything, even killing people to achieve your goal,” he said.

Mr Dzira said the court would have imposed a non-custodial sentence on the juvenile but because of his dishonesty which he displayed in court, he did not deserve a lenient sentence.

The State case was that on 3 August at about 8.30am at Dambashoko village, the juvenile and Joma waylaid the complainant Mr Abel Sibindi and axed him on the forehead and left knee.

The two connived with another suspect only identified as Tafara, who is still at large. They robbed Mr Sibindi of his $22 and fled from the scene. The juvenile and Joma were later apprehended by villagers among them Mr Dube whom they tried to strike with an axe to free themselves.

The two were later handed over to the police. Mr Johannes Tlou prosecuted.