News / Regional
Prophet fatally strike drunk man with a stick
10 Mar 2015 at 06:22hrs | Views
THE murder of a drunk man who was fatally struck with a stick by a self-proclaimed prophet at a shrine was "unholy", a High Court judge said yesterday.
Justice Martin Makonese said this as he jailed Manganiso Ndlovu, 38, of Gondwa in Jambezi, over the killing of Development Moyo, 27, who had drunkenly wandered to a hill where a church service was underway.
The Bulawayo judge, on circuit in Hwange, said Ndlovu could have prayed for Moyo to repent instead of killing him.
"Wasn't the murder scene a holy place? When people are at a holy place are they not supposed to convert drunkards? Why are you saying the deceased had no business at the shrine? If the deceased conducted himself in a drunken manner, the accused should have acted wisely and asked church members to subdue him," the judge said.
Ndlovu had been charged with murder, but Justice Makonese, sitting with Elias Ndlovu and Felix Dube as assessors, found him guilty of a lesser charge of culpable homicide.
He was jailed for eight years, of which two were conditionally suspended.
Justice Makonese said courts will not allow violence to permeate society, especially church gatherings.
"Shrines are generally regarded as holy places and people who visit there expect to get spiritual guidance," he said.
Ndlovu's lawyer, Thulani Nkala, had pleaded for a sentence of five years for his client arguing that Ndlovu had been provoked by Moyo who had not been invited to the shrine.
The court heard from Namatirai Ngwasha, for the state, that shortly after 8PM on September 6 last year, at a hill in Jambezi, members of Christ in Zion were worshipping in the open air.
Moyo, drunk out of his mind, sauntered over to the shrine in the company of Simon Mathe. They had been on a drinking binge at anearby bar and were attracted to the sound of people singing. Ndlovu was leading the service.
Moyo, the court heard, joined the group and started singing and dancing, acting like he was possessed.
He held Ndlovu by the ears and poured some beer on his head.
Ngwasha said Ndlovu took a stick from a fellow congregant and struck the deceased once on the head.
Moyo left the gathering but fell to the ground after walking for a short distance. His body was recovered a day later just 200m away from the shine.
A postmortem report showed that Moyo died from head injuries sustained as a result of the assault.
Justice Martin Makonese said this as he jailed Manganiso Ndlovu, 38, of Gondwa in Jambezi, over the killing of Development Moyo, 27, who had drunkenly wandered to a hill where a church service was underway.
The Bulawayo judge, on circuit in Hwange, said Ndlovu could have prayed for Moyo to repent instead of killing him.
"Wasn't the murder scene a holy place? When people are at a holy place are they not supposed to convert drunkards? Why are you saying the deceased had no business at the shrine? If the deceased conducted himself in a drunken manner, the accused should have acted wisely and asked church members to subdue him," the judge said.
Ndlovu had been charged with murder, but Justice Makonese, sitting with Elias Ndlovu and Felix Dube as assessors, found him guilty of a lesser charge of culpable homicide.
He was jailed for eight years, of which two were conditionally suspended.
Justice Makonese said courts will not allow violence to permeate society, especially church gatherings.
"Shrines are generally regarded as holy places and people who visit there expect to get spiritual guidance," he said.
The court heard from Namatirai Ngwasha, for the state, that shortly after 8PM on September 6 last year, at a hill in Jambezi, members of Christ in Zion were worshipping in the open air.
Moyo, drunk out of his mind, sauntered over to the shrine in the company of Simon Mathe. They had been on a drinking binge at anearby bar and were attracted to the sound of people singing. Ndlovu was leading the service.
Moyo, the court heard, joined the group and started singing and dancing, acting like he was possessed.
He held Ndlovu by the ears and poured some beer on his head.
Ngwasha said Ndlovu took a stick from a fellow congregant and struck the deceased once on the head.
Moyo left the gathering but fell to the ground after walking for a short distance. His body was recovered a day later just 200m away from the shine.
A postmortem report showed that Moyo died from head injuries sustained as a result of the assault.
Source - chronicle
