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Murder cases dominate Bulawayo High Court roll
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Violent crime dominated proceedings during the First Term of the Bulawayo High Court, with murder cases accounting for nearly the entire criminal roll and highlighting the scale of serious violent offences across Matabeleland and parts of the Midlands.
According to the Criminal Cause List for the First Term of 2026, the High Court sat between January 12 and March 27, during which 66 criminal matters were set down for trial. Of these, 64 were murder cases, while only one theft and one fraud matter appeared on the roll.
The figures reveal the extent to which homicide cases continue to burden the criminal justice system, with many of the matters involving allegations of extreme violence and brutality.
Court records show that victims were allegedly killed using a wide range of weapons, including axes, knives, machetes, firearms, logs, stones, knobkerries, pick handles and other blunt instruments.
One of the cases before the court involved four men from Esigodini who were convicted of fatally attacking Mandlenkosi Dube. Prosecutors alleged that the victim was repeatedly assaulted with axes, machetes, spears, knobkerries and sticks fitted with metal rings in what was described as a sustained and violent attack.
In another case from Gwanda, three convicted men allegedly tied a victim's hands and legs with wire before assaulting him with a hammer-mill fan belt, a horse pipe and booted feet. Prosecutors said the victim was later drowned in a saline pond.
The court also heard a matter involving four convicted persons accused of torturing a victim with a taser gun before fatally shooting him in the chest.
In a separate case from Fort Rixon, a man was convicted of murdering his wife after allegedly assaulting her with clenched fists before striking her head with an axe.
Court records reveal that many of the killings stemmed from disputes that escalated into deadly violence. Among the reported causes were disagreements over a missing cellphone, arguments at mine shafts, accusations of witchcraft, neighbourhood vigilantism, rent disputes and even a quarrel over a missing US$20.
The cause list further highlighted a recurring pattern of group assaults and mob-style violence, with numerous cases involving multiple accused persons acting together.
The prevalence of murder cases on the High Court roll has raised concern about the increasing use of violence to settle disputes and conflicts within communities.
Judicial officers have repeatedly stressed the importance of strengthening conflict-resolution mechanisms, community-based interventions and law enforcement efforts to address the root causes of violent crime.
The latest statistics from the Bulawayo High Court underscore the significant challenge facing authorities as they seek to curb serious offences and promote respect for the rule of law across the region.
With murder cases accounting for more than 96 percent of the criminal matters heard during the term, the figures paint a troubling picture of the severity and persistence of violent crime in Zimbabwe's southern provinces.
According to the Criminal Cause List for the First Term of 2026, the High Court sat between January 12 and March 27, during which 66 criminal matters were set down for trial. Of these, 64 were murder cases, while only one theft and one fraud matter appeared on the roll.
The figures reveal the extent to which homicide cases continue to burden the criminal justice system, with many of the matters involving allegations of extreme violence and brutality.
Court records show that victims were allegedly killed using a wide range of weapons, including axes, knives, machetes, firearms, logs, stones, knobkerries, pick handles and other blunt instruments.
One of the cases before the court involved four men from Esigodini who were convicted of fatally attacking Mandlenkosi Dube. Prosecutors alleged that the victim was repeatedly assaulted with axes, machetes, spears, knobkerries and sticks fitted with metal rings in what was described as a sustained and violent attack.
In another case from Gwanda, three convicted men allegedly tied a victim's hands and legs with wire before assaulting him with a hammer-mill fan belt, a horse pipe and booted feet. Prosecutors said the victim was later drowned in a saline pond.
The court also heard a matter involving four convicted persons accused of torturing a victim with a taser gun before fatally shooting him in the chest.
In a separate case from Fort Rixon, a man was convicted of murdering his wife after allegedly assaulting her with clenched fists before striking her head with an axe.
Court records reveal that many of the killings stemmed from disputes that escalated into deadly violence. Among the reported causes were disagreements over a missing cellphone, arguments at mine shafts, accusations of witchcraft, neighbourhood vigilantism, rent disputes and even a quarrel over a missing US$20.
The cause list further highlighted a recurring pattern of group assaults and mob-style violence, with numerous cases involving multiple accused persons acting together.
The prevalence of murder cases on the High Court roll has raised concern about the increasing use of violence to settle disputes and conflicts within communities.
Judicial officers have repeatedly stressed the importance of strengthening conflict-resolution mechanisms, community-based interventions and law enforcement efforts to address the root causes of violent crime.
The latest statistics from the Bulawayo High Court underscore the significant challenge facing authorities as they seek to curb serious offences and promote respect for the rule of law across the region.
With murder cases accounting for more than 96 percent of the criminal matters heard during the term, the figures paint a troubling picture of the severity and persistence of violent crime in Zimbabwe's southern provinces.
Source - The Chronicle
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