Elderly man in court over alleged assault of co-tenant

A 68-YEAR-OLD Bulawayo man has appeared in court for allegedly assaulting his 62-year-old co-tenant following a dispute over a cellphone charger.

Danisa Ncube of Vundu Flats in Makokoba suburb appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Ms Patience Madondo facing a charge of physical abuse under Section 3(1)(a) as read with Section 4(1) of the Domestic Violence Act. He was remanded in custody to January 20.

Prosecutor Mr Methuli Ncube told the court that on January 13, at around 8pm, the accused and the complainant, Felix Mpofu, who share a room, had a misunderstanding after Ncube accused Mpofu of stealing his cellphone charger.

"The complainant denied knowledge of the charger's whereabouts, leading to an altercation," Mr Ncube said.

According to court proceedings, Ncube allegedly assaulted Mpofu by punching him several times on the head and face, causing injuries to his right eye. Mpofu was referred to hospital for a medical examination, and the resulting report was produced in court as an exhibit.

The matter was reported at Mzilikazi Police Station, leading to Ncube's arrest.