Juvenile stoned, nearly loses ear in fight over Rizla

Mashudu Mambo

A DISPUTE over Rizla rolling paper, left a 17-year-old boy from Makokoba suburb in Bulawayo with a cut on the ear and a bruise on the stomach after he refused to lend the product to a regular customer.

The accused who cannot be named for ethical reasons appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Maxwell Ncube facing two charges of assault. He was not asked to plead and was remanded out of custody to 19 February.

Allegations against the juvenile are that on 28 January 2024, the victim met the accused who wanted to borrow some Rizla rolling paper but he declined.

At around 8PM, at some shops in Makokoba, the accused who was in the company of his friends met the victim.

The accused’s friends blocked the way for the victim and the suspect approached the victim carrying a stone which he used to assault the complainant on the right ear.

The victim broke away but the accused threw a stone at him and it hit him on the right side of his stomach.

On the next day at around 3PM, the accused met Blessing Muzindo who was on his way to his uncle’s house to see his nephew who had been assaulted by the juvenile.

The juvenile threw a stone at Muzindo but he missed his target, so he decided to move closer.

The suspect stabbed Muzindo once with an okapi knife on the right side of the chest and the victim sustained a deep cut.