Initially the accused, Faithfully Khumalo had been jointly charged with her husband Fredrick Mucharaga, on the charge of murdering her eleven-year- old son, Anele Khumalo. The husband is reportedly critically ill and bedridden. He therefore, was not able to stand trial. An application in terms of s190 of the Criminal Procedure Evidence and Reform Act Chapter 9:07, to amend pleadings and file those reflecting only the accused was made and granted. She was charged with murder as defined in s47 (1) of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act Chapter 9:23. She pleaded not guilty to the charge. More
The accused appeared before us charged with murder as defined in section 47(1) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, [Chapter 9:23]. He pleaded not guilty to the charge. The state’s case is that on 28 March 2020 at around 1800 hours the now deceased was at a party at Mayele Mbedzi Store Maware Beitbridge. He was in the company of his young brother Tamson Gumbo. The accused was also at that party. At around 0030 hours the accused accosted Tamson threatening to assault him because he considered him as a person who is from a village of arrogant... More
The two accused in this case Farai Katsande and Owen Katsande are brothers. They lost some property at their residence and allegedly went on a rampage assaulting people they suspected of having stolen it. When they thought they were sure it was their nephew Robert Nyatsine (the deceased) who had deprived them of their valuables, they cornered him, severely assaulted him and inflicted mortal injuries which took his life. Formally the charge against them was that in contravention of s 47(1) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23] (the Code), the accused persons each or both of... More
The seven accused persons have been arraigned on a charge of murder in terms of s 47(1) of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act [Chapter 9:23]. They have all denied the charge by pleading not guilty. It is accused 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6’s defence that they were neither present nor participated in the commission of the offence. Accused 1 admits being part of the group which accosted and assaulted the deceased rival gang but denies being present at the time the deceased was being assaulted to death. Accused 7 does not deny his presence or his participation... More
Criminality, particularly of the violent type, is often associated with daftness. That perception is however slowly proving less and less accurate. The sophistication with which some crimes are being committed in recent times smacks of the advent of an avant-garde criminal world. Investigators and prosecutors must keep abreast with such developments lest they are left struggling to link criminals to the crimes. In this case, a man doing everything to fend for his family was murdered in cold blood yet there was no one with a clue as to who had killed him. The suspects were remotely connected to the... More
The accused person stood trial before this court on a charge of murder, as defined in Section 47(1) of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act [Chapter 09:23] (the Criminal Law Code). The charge stemmed from the death of Hillary Bhenge, which occurred on the 20th of November 2022 at Mashona Queen 2, Mukaradzi, Mt Darwin. The accused entered a plea of not guilty to the charge and also tendered a limited plea of culpable homicide, as defined in section 49 of the Criminal Law Code. During the proceedings, the parties engaged in further deliberations and reached an agreement on... More
The 5 accused appeared before us on a charge of murder as defined in section 47(1) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 9:23. They pleaded not guilty. The state’s case is that on 30 March 2021 the 5 were part of a seven member team of police officers tasked with tracking down and arresting the now deceased who was a suspect in a spate of robberies around Bulawayo and Esigodini area. Armed with AK 47 rifles they went to the now deceased’s home where they barged into his bedroom, apprehended him and proceed to assault him indiscriminately.... More
