Polygamous father brutally assaults his children, dragged to court

A POLYGAMOUS father of three wives and 20 children brutally assaulted his four children, leaving them with serious injuries in a case of child abuse that stunned people at Mutare Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.

The four children aged 14, 13, 13 and 12 and reportedly doing Grade Four at Chigonda Primary School in Marange area of Mutare District were said to have stolen their headmaster's solar panel thereby attracting the wreath of their father, Lazarus Kambarami who assaulted them with a rope.

Kambarami appeared before senior Mutare magistrate, Mrs Sekai Chiundura facing four counts of assault.

He was convicted on his own plea of guilty and was sentenced to four months imprisonment, wholly suspended on condition that he does not commit any offence involving physical abuse in the next five years.

"Since you have many children you must love them instead of assaulting them so wickedly.

"A repeat of this offence will see you facing the full wrath of the law. There are so many ways of disciplining your children Mr Kambarami," said Mrs Chiundura.

The court heard that on October 2 around 6pm, Chipo Magwaure, who is a sister to one of the mothers of the children reported to Kambarami that the children had misbehaved.

This did not go down well with Kambarami who then took a rope and assaulted the children on the buttocks, arms, back and thighs resulting in them sustaining severe injuries.

A neigbhour who was the children's injuries and neglect since no medical treatment had been administered to the injuries reported the matter to the police leading to Kambarami's arrest.

Asked by Mrs Chiundura why he had committed such a heinous offence, Kambarami said he was disciplining his children.