Son threatens to kill father over cellphone

Tsenulo Moyo
A man from Pumula South suburb in Bulawayo was arrested for threatening to kill his father with a kitchen knife after being confronted about stealing his mother’s phone.
Handsome Moyo appeared before Western Commonage magistrate Sikhethile Moyo facing a charge of threats of murder.

He pleaded not guilty to the alleged offense and was remanded to 13 December 2024 for continuation of trial.
Handsome claimed to be the real victim in this case. He alleged that on the day in question, he went to his father’s place at 9pm and used the back entrance to avoid making noise.

“My father heard me entering and approached me aggressively. I escaped from him, but he went to the bedroom as if looking for something. Fearing he would hurt me, I closed the bedroom door,” he said.
“He pushed the door from inside, and I pushed it from outside until the door fell. Afterwards, he went to the sitting room and hit me with an unknown object. I even felt dizzy afterward,” he said.
Handsome Moyo alleged that his father Never Moyo went to sit outside on the verandah and refused to come inside when asked.

“My father said he would not enter the house as long as I was there. I told him I would leave the following morning as it was already late. After some time, I heard some noises from outside. That’s when I took a knife from the kitchen, which I suppose made him think I was threatening to kill him,” he said.
In response his father stated that the accused had stolen his wife’s phone and sold it.

“When I confronted him about the stolen phone, he became aggressive and attacked me. I had to seek help from my neighbour.
“I don’t recall the exact time of the incident, but it was late at night.
“He pushed me from the sitting room to the bedroom, and I locked myself inside. He forced the door open, causing it to fall,” he said.

He added that the accused had a history of coming home drunk and threatening him, a behaviour that had persisted for over 10 years.
Handsome refuted the claims of hitting his father with a metal object, stating that he pushed him after he had threatened to kill him with a kitchen knife.

The court heard that on 1 November 2024, the accused had an altercation with his father over the stolen phone and threatened to kill him with a kitchen knife.
The matter was reported to the police, leading to the accused’s arrest.