Woman and daughter whipped neighbour with a sjambok til she fainted

A Entumbane 53-year-old woman teamed up with her 27-year-old daughter and whipped her neighbour with a sjambok, stamped on her stomach and incessantly punched her with fists until she fainted, a magistrate heard.

Western Commonage provincial resident magistrate Willard Maphios Moyo heard how Thoriso Moyo and her daughter, Lucy Phiri sjamboked Ntombizodwa Nyoni, 39, before pushing her to the concrete floor and stamped on her stomach.  They punched her on the face accusing her of influencing their maid, Dorcas Nkomo, to steal clothes from their wardrobe.

Prosecuting, Mufaro Mageza, narrated how on December 31, 2013, Moyo summoned her neighbour, Nyoni to her house to witness as they assaulted their maid whom they accused of stealing clothes.

The court heard that when Nyoni arrived at the neighbour's house, she found Moyo and Phiri assaulting their maid.

The two then turned on Nyoni accusing her of influencing Nkomo to steal Phiri's clothes.

"Moyo and Phiri turned on Nyoni and started lashing her with a sjambok and in the process, she fell down and the two women continued to assault her while she lay helplessly on the floor.

"Moyo stamped on her stomach as Phiri punched her all over the face until she lost consciousness," said Mageza.

The court heard that soon after she had regained consciousness, Nyoni reported the matter to the police leading to the arrest of Moyo and Phiri.

Nyoni was rushed to United Bulawayo Hospitals for treatment.

Moyo and Phiri were convicted on their own pleas of guilty to assault and given an option of paying a fine of $50 each or spend a month in jail. They chose to pay a fine.