Man up for assaulting, stealing from Plumber employee

A Man from Luveve 5 in Bulawayo has appeared in court facing two counts of theft and attempted murder on his plumber employee.

The man had accused his employee of failing to finish a roofing tender at his house in Mpopoma.

Wisdom Vumani (50) who was denying the charge was exonerated from the theft charge but was however found guilty of attempted murder when he appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Dambudzo Malunga.

Malunga remanded him in custody to April 26 for the continuation of trial.

Prosecutor Naison Chivayo told the court that in November 14 2021,Vumani approached his plumber employee Earnest Mutsikani (48) at his workplace in corner 3rd avenue and fort street with two laches, holding two cans of castle lite beer with a knobkerrie under his armpits.

"Vumani enquired from Mutsikani who was in the company of Patrick Mubayi (36) of as to why he had still not done roofing at his house which he had been paid US$400 to do a year ago," Chivayo said.

"Vumani asked him of his asbestos and without giving him any chance to explain his story, hit him with a fist on the left side of his chin prompting him to run away."

Chivayo said Vumani became more violent after the act and threw stones hitting Mutsikani on his back while he was running away.

He then chased after Mutsikani with a white pickup truck, caught up with him at an alley at corner 1st avenue and fort street where he assaulted him several times with a knobkerrie and bricks leaving him for dead.

In the theft charge Vumani searched Mutsikani who was still lying lifeless on the ground and stole US$300 in his pockets.

In his defence, Vumani told the court that he never used the knobkerrie during the assault as it was a traditional knobkerrie used to protect his lineage spiritually and alleged that he had attacked Mutsikani for throwing gross insults about his wife,calling her a prostitute who knew what happened to the US$400.