Man kills neighbour over trousers

A Sanyati teenage killer on Tuesday escaped capital punishment and was slapped with a nine-year effective jail term after he was convicted of murdering his neighbour who accused him of stealing his pair of trousers.

Kudakwashe Muzira was aged 17 years in June 2009, when he stabbed and killed Edmore Vambe.

The accused told High Court judge, Justice Chinembiri Bhunu that he was cornered and launched pre-emptive attack on Vambe in a bid to avert mortal danger to himself.

Before sentence justice Bhunu said in his judgment: "The accused's (Muzira) conduct in attacking a defenseless person who was no longer participating in the scuffle with a lethal knife can only amount to intentional killing of a pillow human being."

The court heard that on the fateful day Vambe and his nephew, who was identified in court only as Munyaradzi, accosted Muzira at his parent's homestead and accused him of stealing Vambe's pair of trousers.