Peacemaker axed in party brawl

IN an attempt to break up a fight between his friends at a party, a 31-year-old man from Ntabazinduna in Matabeleland North province seemed to have got more than what he had bargained for when he was axed three times on the head and once on the arm.

This was heard when Bruce Khanye (29) appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Elijah Singano facing a charge of attempted murder.

He pleaded not guilty to the charge but was convicted after a full trial.

He was sentenced to five years imprisonment with two years suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour.
Khanye will serve an effective three years in prison.

Handing down the sentence, the magistrate said that the medical report indicated that the injuries sustained by the victim were severe.

"The doctor who examined the victim noted that the victim had a scar on the back of his head and some weaknesses on his body. The doctor then referred the victim to a neurosurgeon as his head had been tampered with.

"The victim currently suffers from body weakness and is showing signs of trauma and the doctor noted that the injury on the head will have long term effects on the complainant," said Singano.

Singano said the accused's defence was dismissed as he was the aggressor in the incident.

"Although the accused disputed using an axe saying that he used a zinc sheet, it is clear that the violent conduct of the accused led to the injury of the complainant.

"According to the testimony of the complainant, he intervened to stop the accused from fighting with a friend at a party and this angered the accused who then turned to the peacemaker with an axe that he usually carries," he said.

The magistrate argued that Khanye did not show any signs of remorse as he never apologised to the victim.

"The accused is convicted of attempted murder and it is clear that he struck the complainant three times on the head as demonstrated by the testimony of the complainant.

"The culprit told the court that he apologised to the victim but in court he never showed any remorse. He also never helped him with hospital bills," charged Singano.

The court proved that on 8 March and at around 10pm at Basina Village, Khanye was with the victim Tinashe Mangaraware attending a party.

It is reported that Khanye had a misunderstanding with one of his friends and it degenerated into a fistfight.

In a bid to stop the two from fighting Mangaraware intervened and that didn't go down well with Khanye who struck the victim with an axe three times on the head and once on the arm and fled from the scene.

Mangaraware sustained deep cuts and he was referred to hospital.