mbulelo smpofu
Musawenkosi Moyo
TWO men from Old Luveve suburb in Bulawayo have landed themselves in hot water after assaulting a police officer and a friend with stones.
For the offence, Elvis Tonnymore Sibanda and Mbonisi Moyo appeared before Western Commonage magistrate, Mehluli Moyo.
Sibanda was facing two counts of assault and one count of malicious damage to property, while Mbonisi was facing one count of assault and one count of malicious damage to property.
They both pleaded guilty to the assault charges and not guilty to malicious damage to property.
The matter was remanded to 19 December 2024, for continuation of trial.
In his defence, Sibanda said that he only hit the police officer on the head with a stone because he was not aware that he was a police officer and had thought that he was coming to assault him as he had seen the officer walking alongside his friend, Wisdom Mthembu, carrying stones.
He also said that he only hit Mthembu after he had attacked him first for standing on a road close to his property.
“I was standing in the road just off his house when he came out and told me to leave.
“I left, but the complainant followed me and said that I was disrespectful and then he started hitting me,” he said.
On his part, Moyo said that he was passing by when he saw Sibanda and the complainant fighting. He went to them and tried to break up the fight when the complainant turned and started hitting him as well.
Moyo also said that the fight had not happened close to the complainant’s house, therefore it was impossible for him to have been able to damage any of the property he is alleged to have damaged.
Circumstances are that on 23 November 2024, at around 8am in Old Luveve suburb in Bulawayo, the complainant was told that his friends were waiting for him outside.
It was heard that when the complainant went to meet them, Sibanda pulled out an Okapi knife from his pocket with the intention of stabbing him.
Mthembu ran away from the duo, who picked up stones and started throwing them at him, injuring his head and damaging windows, asbestos roofing, and a gate at his house.
The court further heard that after reporting the matter to the police, the complainant, along with a police officer, went to Sibanda’s house and upon arrival, the accused came out, picked up a stone and hit the police officer in the back of the head with it.
