Siphakeme .Mnindwa
Patrick Chitumba and Trish Mukwazo, Chronicle Writers
A ZVISHAVANE woman was yesterday sentenced to five years in jail by the High Court for fatally stabbing her husband following a domestic feud.
Latifa Yokonia (20) of Yokonia Village, 4 Miles, Zvishavane, was convicted of culpable homicide by Bulawayo High Court judge, Justice Munamato Mutevedzi sitting on circuit in Gweru.
Yokonia was initially facing a murder charge in connection with the death of her husband Mr Augustine Hove (34), of Rindai Village, Chief Mukanganwi in Masvingo. She tendered a limited plea of guilty to culpable. Yokonia will serve an effective two years in prison after the judge suspended three years on condition of good behaviour.
The prosecutor, Mr Talent Tadenyika told the court that the couple lived in a disused 5 000-litre JoJo tank at Call Mine compound, Vanguard, Mberengwa. On June 26 last year, at around 6.30am, a misunderstanding arose when Hove accused Yokonia of infidelity.
“The two had a misunderstanding, as the deceased was alleging that the offender had an extra marital affair with another man in Vanguard, Mberengwa,” said Mr Tadenyika.
Following the misunderstanding, Yokonia packed her belongings intending to leave.
Mr Hove tried to stop her, which escalated the argument. In anger, Yokonia picked up a kitchen knife and stabbed Hove once in the upper left buttock and once in the left leg.
Mr Hove was initially assisted by a witness, Desire Nyathi, to report the matter at Mberengwa Police Station. He was admitted to Mberengwa District Hospital and later transferred to United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH).
On July 27, Mr Hove was discharged from UBH and returned to his rural home in Masvingo. However, on August 1, he died. A post-mortem conducted at Masvingo Provincial Hospital revealed that the cause of death was empyema, peritonitis, and stab wounds. This led to Yokonia’s arrest.
In her defence through her lawyer, Mr Esau Mandipa of Mandipa, Makwara, and Chikukwa Law Practices, Yokonia claimed that Hove was the aggressor as he assaulted her when she attempted to leave.
Justice Mutevedzi acknowledged this but emphasised that violence could not be used to resolve disputes.
“Yes, the deceased was being violent towards the accused but she used violence to stop him, leading to his death,” he said.
Justice Mutevedzi also expressed concern over the rising number of murder cases in the Midlands Province.
“Midlands Province is now notorious for murder cases and there is a need for all stakeholders to come together and address the issue of violence to curb or reduce these cases,” he said.
Two witnesses, Desire Nyathi (28) and Alex Moyo (44), testified that they saw Yokonia and Hove fighting on the morning of June 28. They assisted in ferrying Hove to hospital after he was stabbed.
Meanwhile, a 44-year-old Bulawayo woman appeared in court yesterday accused of fatally stabbing her estranged husband.
The deceased, Mr Qinisela Nyathi, had reportedly filed for a protection order against his wife, Sifiso Dube, and the two were living apart at the time of the incident.
Sifiso Dube appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Abednico Ndebele facing a murder charge.
The prosecutor Ms Mufaro Ndiraire said the incident occurred on the evening of January 18, around 7pm. It is alleged that Dube violated the protection order and sneaked into Mr Nyathi’s house. Upon her entry, a misunderstanding arose between the two, escalating into a physical altercation.
“During the scuffle, the accused slit the now deceased’s throat with a kitchen knife, which broke into four pieces during the attack. The deceased managed to overpower the accused, grabbing the remaining piece of the knife with the handle,” said Ms Ndiraire.
The court heard that the deceased attempted to stab the accused but failed. Instead, he scratched her on the elbows and chest with the blunt piece.
The commotion alarmed tenants in the adjacent rooms, prompting them to rush to the scene.
The court heard that Mr Nyathi fled the house, running into a nearby bush. He collapsed about 200 metres away in a maize field.
His lifeless body was discovered the following morning by passers-by, lying in a pool of blood.
mbulelo smpofu
shloboe boe
