Wrestling game ends in fatal stabbing

A 27-year-old man from Shurugwi in the Midlands Province has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after fatally stabbing his friend during what began as a playful wrestling match.

Brighton Taruvinga of Donga Stands, Chachacha, was convicted of murder by Bulawayo High Court judge Justice Munamato Mutevedzi, sitting on circuit in Gweru.

Although Taruvinga denied the charge of murder and instead offered a limited plea to culpable homicide, the court found him guilty of intentionally killing his friend, 30-year-old Farai Nyerebani of Marira Village.

Prosecutor Mr Talent Tadenyika told the court that on August 2 this year, at around 1PM, Taruvinga met Nyerebani at Chachacha Business Centre. Nyerebani was sitting at a gas filling booth with his colleague, Kossam Ncube, discussing mining activities when Taruvinga joined them.

The two began to wrestle playfully, but matters escalated after Nyerebani accidentally broke Taruvinga's nose. In a fit of rage, Taruvinga drew a Columbia knife from his trousers and stabbed Nyerebani three times — once below the left hip, once above the waist, and once on the chest.

Nyerebani staggered about six metres before collapsing and was later pronounced dead at Shurugwi District Hospital. A postmortem conducted at United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) revealed that he died from haemorrhagic shock caused by multiple stab wounds.

Taruvinga fled the scene after the attack but was subsequently arrested. Justice Mutevedzi sentenced him to 25 years behind bars, bringing closure to a case that turned a moment of playful camaraderie into a fatal tragedy.