Sinokubonga Nkala
Danisa Masuku
A man who fiercely accused his neighbor of bewitching him and spat at her face, found himself on the receiving end when the woman teamed up with her children and beat him up leading to his death.
This was heard when Nokuthaba Mhlanga and her two sons Arthur and Abel Ngwenya appeared before Bulawayo High Court Judge Naison Chivayo facing a murder charge.
However, the three defendants claimed they acted in self-defence when they attacked Prosper Hlongwane with logs, resulting in his death.
In her defence, Nokuthaba stated that she was four months pregnant at the time of the incident.
She recounted that Prosper stormed into her home and hurled insults at her children. He then escalated the situation by accusing her of witchcraft.
When she tried to intervene, it seemed to further enrage him. He spat at her face and attempted to attack her with an axe. Her children intervened, managing to wrest the axe from his grasp.
The trio beat him with logs, ultimately causing his death.
The judge considered their defence of self-defence to be strong, leading to the charge being reduced to culpable homicide.
At the conclusion of the trial, Chivayo found them guilty and sentenced them to three years in prison, which was wholly suspended.
The court heard that on 8 September last year, Nokuthaba retired to bed while her children watched television.
A few minutes later, she heard a noise at the door. She checked and was shocked to find her neighbour, Prosper, banging on the door. Prosper hurled insults at her and her children. He then attempted to shoot her with a catapult, but she managed to dodge the missile.
Prosper then grabbed an axe and tried to attack Nokuthaba, calling her a witch and spitting in her face.
Nokuthaba and her children intervened, managing to wrest the axe from his grip. Subsequently, they used logs to beat him up, ultimately leading to his death.
