Man (78) sentenced to 1yr for axing estranged wife

By Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu

A 78 year old man from Gwanda who struck his estranged 79-year-old wife with an axe and force marched her to their matrimonial home after she refused to go back home following their separation has been given a 12 months wholly suspended sentence.

Bishop Sibanda (78) of Zhokwe Village was convicted on his own plea of guilty to kidnapping by Gwanda Provincial magistrate, Mr Lungile Ncube.

He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment which was wholly suspended on condition that he does not commit a similar offence within the next five years.

In passing sentence, Mr Ncube said he had taken into consideration that Sibanda was of ill health and old.

In mitigation, Sibanda said he had committed the offence as he was sexually starved.

“I committed the offence Your Worship as I was sexually starved as my wife didn’t want to come back to me following our separation.

I was constantly seeing my wife in the community as she stays nearby and this was making me more frustrated as I had gone for several months without sleeping with a woman.

I still love her and I want her back,” he said.

The complainant, Mrs Agnes Sibanda, who was not pleased with Sibanda’s suspended sentence, begged the court to throw him in jail as he had hurt her severely when he attacked her.

Magistrate Ncube tried to reconcile the pair but the complainant indicated that she wanted nothing to do with Sibanda.

Prosecuting, Miss Faith Mutukwa said Sibanda attacked and kidnapped his wife on May 10 at around 12noon.

“On 10 May at around 12noon, Sibanda, who is on separation with his wife, arrived at the complainant’s home and found her with her daughter in law Julia Ncube.

Sibanda requested his wife to go back with him to his homestead as he still loved her but she refused as he was the one who had chased her away.

“This made Sibanda furious and he picked up an axe and tried to attack her but she took the axe from him.

Sibanda retrieved another axe and struck the complainant once on the forehead.

He went on to assault her on her back several times using the back of the axe.

Sibanda then force marched the complainant to his homestead where he kept her for several hours. He later ordered the complainant to leave the homestead with him as they were going to Garanyemba area to talk to her relatives,” she said.

Miss Mutukwa said the complainant’s daughter in law Julia Dube remained behind and alerted some villagers of what Sibanda had done. She said villagers teamed up and followed Sibanda and the complainant and they caught up with them about three kilometres from his homestead.

The matter was reported to the police resulting in Sibanda’s arrest. The Chronicle