By Mejury Magaya
A 30-year-old Chirumhanzu man has been sentenced to 19 years in jail for robbing and stabbing a 28-year-old woman nine times all over the body with an Okapi knife after he had a misunderstanding with her in-laws.
The court heard that Lloyd Shayawabaya of Shayawabaya Village under Chief Chirumhanzu attacked and robbed Mrs Eva Mangisi because of a grudge with her in-laws. It was not stated in court what triggered the grudge.
Shayawabaya appeared before Gweru Regional Magistrate Mrs Phathekile Msipa facing unlawful entry and robbery charges.
He pleaded not guilty but was convicted after a full trial.
Mrs Msipa sentenced him to 19 years before suspending one and half years on condition of good behaviour.
Shayawabaya, a tout at Beitbridge Border Post will serve an effective 16 and a half years in prison.
Mrs Mangisi told the court that Shayawabaya told her that he wanted to kill her because he hated her in-laws.
“He said he hated my in laws. He said last time he promised to kill me and that he had come to finish his job,” she said.
Prosecuting, Mr Talent Tadenyika said that on May 28 in 2018 at around 9PM,
Shayawabaya went to the complainant’s house and forcibly opened the bedroom door.
“Whilst inside the house, he found the complainant awake before he started assaulting her once with an open hand on the left cheek, stabbing her on the back of the head twice, five times on the back of the neck, once on the back of the left shoulder and once on the left arm,” he said.
The court heard that Shayawabaya dragged the woman outside the house.
He robbed Mrs Mangisi of her Huawei smart phone and ZW$54.
“The complainant was found in the morning by passerby’s who helped her and a blood-stained Okapi knife was recovered at the scene,” said Mr Tadenyika. The Chronicle
